


Glitter in the Hallway

by dovelette



Category: Big Time Rush
Genre: Angst, Basketball, Bullying, Complete, Family Issues, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Gen, Glitter, High School, Homophobic Language, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Male Friendship, Teen Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-09
Updated: 2015-01-09
Packaged: 2018-03-06 19:26:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 29,607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3145826
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dovelette/pseuds/dovelette
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kendall, failing to live up to the expectations of his parents, is unable to control himself & resorts to taking his anger out on his shy classmate Logan. Contains angst, bullying; Kendall/Jo & Logan-centric!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Summoned Out of a Dream

**Author's Note:**

> I got this idea after a presentation and short skit about bullying that my classmates and I performed. I have re-written the script I wrote into a BTR fanfic to bring awareness to bullying and possibly how you can make an effort to prevent it in your own life. I hope you will be able to enjoy this story and also realize the importance of doing your best to make this world a better place!
> 
> Important notice: Most of the characters are slightly taken out of context to fit the roles necessary for this story. Yet I believe that you as a reader and fan can read and enjoy this without taking offense :) Thank you and I hope you enjoy this story!
> 
> Keith-Kendall's dad
> 
> Katherine-Kendall's mom
> 
> Minor characters that also make an appearance are Jo, Katie, Camille, James, Carlos and Logan. As a side note, I just wanted to do this mainly to let you clearly know who Keith and Katherine are…they are the names that I have given to Kendall and Katie's parents and they are the names I use for them in every other BTR story.
> 
>  **Disclaimer:**
> 
> Written in 2011. Uploaded from Fanfiction.net
> 
> I do not own any of these characters; they all belong to Nickelodeon and the creators of Big Time Rush.

Sunlight crept through cracks between the slates of the blinds hanging in the windowsill, sending bars of light crossing across the sleeping form covered in bed sheets. The soft hush of breath hummed throughout the room every so often, drawn in and exhaled with each rise and fall of the chest buried beneath the navy blue comforter.

The teenager belonging to the prone body lay asleep, ignoring the buzzing of his alarm clock, dreading to get up and face the day awaiting him. The blonde male was much more content with the dream he was wrapped up in. In his mind's eye, he saw himself laying on the shore of a remote beach, stretching lazily in the powdery sand. Although it was simply an imagination of his unconsciousness, he could have sworn that the wind playing with his shaggy hair was real.

Everything seemed so real; he could even recognize the scent of the ocean breeze, which appeared to be carrying the taste of salt and marine life to his nostrils. In his dream, the sensation of the sun warmly embracing his creamy skin felt as if it were reality or in the very least, something vaguely close to experiencing a past memory.

A yawn escaped his lips as he reclined, stretching his forearms behind his head. He settled back into his former position yet was unable to get comfortable again. It felt as though there was a faint buzzing noise ringing in the distance disturbing his pleasant dream. Just as he became aware of something unsettling his dream, everything within his dream felt as though it had begun to quiver; the image of the vast ocean shaking before his dark green irises.

As he started to lose his grip on the alternate reality he was experiencing, he felt a tugging on his limbs, a force pulling him away from the beach scene and back into the reality of his normal life. The sights, sounds and colors of his vision abruptly disappeared and was met with a rush of dark hues and misty gray shades as his dream melted into the familiar shape of his room, the still darkness overwhelming all that remained of his pleasant dream.

The source of this disturbance to his dream was soon made known to the boy who had previously been deep in the throes of sleep. A light tapping at his door turned into the harsh knocking of knuckles colliding with the wooden frame to his bedroom. The sweet-laced tone of a woman, his mother, became the first sound to reach his ears that morning,

"Kendall wake up; you're late for school!" Kendall groaned, slumping further into the comforting softness of his pillow, unwilling to leave the peaceful position he had woken up in. After a few moments, he heard his mom's kind tone turn into more of a shriek, ordering him up from his mattress. An unenthusiastic sigh was huffed as the boy slowly pried the covers from his shoulders, grumbling,

"Yes mom…" The gentle clatter of heels resounded off of the tile as his mother retreated down the hallway, whisked off to awaken his sleeping sister in the other room down the hallway.

Blinking, Kendall opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling, allowing himself to collect his bearings. Same old, same old. Here he was, laying in the same room that he had lived in for the past seventeen years of his life. Not much had changed, only a mere rearranging of furniture and the addition of various posters on the walls occurred every other year or majority of his room was bare, besides the posters hanging from the walls, the rug strewn on his floor and the potted cactus which was resting on the oak desk in the corner.

Resolutely, Kendall finally decided to actually get up and dressed for the day. He swung his legs to the right, letting the soles of his bare feet land on the wooden planks of the floor. The sheets shed off of his form as he stood up and headed to his dresser, the gray sweatpants he wore loosely on his hips making a slight swooshing sound with each step.

Sluggishly, he removed his night shirt, pulling a plain white t-shirt over his head, leaving his torso bare until his pajama top was replaced it with a deep burgundy long sleeved shirt. Quickly, he shed his sweatpants and stepped into a pair of dark jeans, feeling uncomfortable to be in his boxers for very long even within the privacy of his own quarters.

He grabbed a pair of clean socks from the bottom drawer and sat down on his bed, discarding the ones that he had worn the night before in exchange for a fresh pair. As he slid the white fabric over his left heel, he heard the scream of his father echo from the first floor of the Knight's home.

"Kendall get down here!"

"Coming Dad!" He shot back, swiftly dragging the remaining sock onto the naked foot. He hopped up, returning to the bathroom counter to speedily swipe on a thin layer of deodorant beneath his armpits. He then rotated to his desk, grabbing a folder before heading to the door, using a finger to dislodge his backpack from where it rested upon a hook.

Before Kendall left the room, he snagged a pair of shoes from the amassing pile near the closet, tucking them in the crook of an arm while he stuffed the folder into the unzipped case containing multiple hardcover text books and notebooks. Once in the hallway, he knelt down to slip on his shoes, quickly fastening the shoelaces in tight bows before heading down the staircase and towards his waiting father.


	2. Would You Like Eggs With That?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you like it so far. This is setting up for the high school scene. Bear with me and I promise that it'll be worth it in the end :)
> 
> In the first chapter I had mentioned that I was changing a few characters(Katie) so imagine her as a prodigy and that's why she's in high school with Kendall, which makes matters worse because Kendall has a hard time with his studies.
> 
> Thank you for taking the time to read my work; I really appreciate it and as always, would love your feedback!
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Big Tine Rush or any of the characters within it…well, except for the names of Mr. & Mrs. Knight.

Upon entering the kitchen, Kendall viewed his father who was sitting at the mahogany table, a slate of glass covering the surface while engraved rosettes adorned the edges. The stern man, sitting erect in a stiff position, had his ankles crossed together under the table while his forehead creased in a frown; his middle-aged father apparently dissatisfied with whatever he had found while scanning the morning's newspaper. Trudging through the kitchen, Kendall did not give the typical breakfast scene a second glance on his way to exit through the front door yet his path was deterred by his father's sudden call for his attention,

"Hold on a minute Kendall," The low baritone drawled as Mr. Knight folded up his newspaper and set it besides a crumpled napkin resting near his plate containing a few remaining sausages and a lightly toasted muffin dabbed with a pat of butter, "I have something to discuss with you."

Betwixt his index finger and thumb a stark white envelope was pinned, the appendages waving the youth's report card in the air. Kendall rounded the table and awkwardly slumped into the chair he claimed as his own for every meal. Flicking a small crumb from the tabletop, he addressed his father's question with one of his own, the tone of his voice laced with indifference,

"What about it Dad?"

"Well look at these grades son! Your GPA is slipping; you can't even get into state school at this rate. So tell me," Mr. Knight set the slip of paper down, linking his knuckles between one another as he stared out at his son from behind his connected hands, "What are you going to do about it?" Kendall reclined in his chair, cupping the back of his neck with his palms, confidently explaining,

"Duke University has offered me a scholarship for basketball Dad! It'll be fine, I'm a great player."

"What if you get injured?" Mr. Knight shot back, "What then smart guy, huh? I think you should apply for a tutor to help you with math. You're really struggling with that subject; you won't be able to become an engineer if you keep this up!" Kendall's woven hands released themselves and came smashing down on the surface of the glass tabletop in the form of fists,

"Ugh you don't get it! This is what I want to do: play basketball!" His right hand gestured wildly in the air, directing his frustration at his father's poignant questions, "I don't want to be a business man like you, why don't you get that?" The tension was disrupted by the brief appearance of a brunette with large brown doe eyes. The youngest Knight, a bright pink side bag draped over her shoulder, snatched a lunch bag from the counter on her way out the door, calling back upstairs,

"Mom I'll be in the car!" The faint call of her mother's voice drifted down from the laundry room,

"Okay dear! Your brother needs to finish breakfast first and I'm just loading this last batch of dirty clothes, then we'll be out there!" Mr. Knight leaned back in his seat, hollering up the staircase,

"The eggs are burning, Honey!" A quick scrabbling of slamming doors and a rush of thumps down the staircase announced his mother's frantic dash to the kitchen,

"Ah I totally forgot! Thanks for reminding me, Keith," She flicked the gauge of heat to simmer and hastily folded the mound of fluffy goodness with a spatula, sighing with relief,

"Whew, I saved them just in time. Eggs, dear?" Mr. Knight briefly nodded then turned his attention back to his defiant son sitting across the table from him. The charming russet tinted hair of Mrs. Knight brushed against her shoulders as she turned with the skillet of scrambled eggs in hand, scooping a generous portion on her husband's plate. Replacing the ladle while making the journey around the table towards her son, she began to mutter aloud,

"I just don't get why you can't be more like your sister. She is involved in so many activities and clubs. She even got the MVP award for volleyball and was a huge contributor to the school's Mathaletes competition this year. She never seems to have a problem with it. I can't believe she has a better GPA than you, and she's even four year's younger! Who knew she was smart enough to skip all those years of middle school and catch up to her big brother?" She beamed whimsically, delighting over her precious fourteen year old daughter who had skipped from the sixth grade to her junior year in high school. The petite brunette becoming an academic prodigy compared to her eighteen year old brother's meager grade point average and lack of contribution to society was a shocker for the entire family. His parents were ecstatic and extremely proud of their baby girl yet it was a harsh slap in the face of Kendall's pride as a son and quite frankly, he did not comprehend his mother's need to bring the situation up, especially not in front of his father who was already criticizing him for not doing the best in his algebra II class. Speaking of his mother, she had a spoonful of the yellow dish poised above his plate, about to dump the breakfast on his plate, yet when they exchanged glances, she paused, asking if he wanted any eggs to which Kendall muttered an almost inaudible,

"I'm not hungry." She simply nodded in understanding, knowing herself not to have a large appetite in the mornings. However, she did not realize that it was not his lack of hunger that had thrown off his appetite. Kendall preoccupied himself with counting the cracks and pattern-like fibers found in the ceiling while his father picked up the topic of Katie's outstanding grades,

"Yeah that's right Katherine; she got nominated as valedictorian of her class and even got a full ride to Princeton as a junior! Princeton!" He exclaimed, slapping his forehead with a palm in disbelief,

"That's so much more than you could ever do, huh Kendall?" When he turned to face his son, he was met with an empty seat.

"Whatever." The lone figure snapped, almost reaching the doorway at this point. Sputtering, Mr. Knight pushed back his chair, the slates grinding against the marble floor harshly as he slammed two hefty clenched fists on the table as he shouted,

"Hey get back here, I'm not done talking to you!" Mrs. Knight looked up in alarm, her clear blue irises flashing apprehensively back and forth between the angry face of her husband and the back of her eldest child. Kendall paused, his steps turning into a rooted stance. He stared at the floor, not turning around as his dad continued to insult him from afar. A long finger belonging to Mr. Knight pointed accusingly at his back,

"You'll end up living on the side of the road and you don't even seem to care! You'll never be able to do any better." His voice was grating and merciless, sharply stinging the back hunched away from him. His green eyes, identical to Kendall's, squinted in preparation of his next words, knowing that what he was about to say would lodge into his son's heart and torment him. Slowly, his voice haughty and low declared,

"You'll always be a failure in my eyes. You'll always put our family to shame!" The tension that had been mounting all morning finally erupted with those poisonous words and left the room silent; all eyes resting on Kendall, awaiting his reaction. All that was visible, with close examination, was the slight quiver of muscles contracting around his forearms as he wound his fists into tightly clenched balls. No one spoke a word; the breath hitching in the back of Katherine's throat as Kendall wordlessly slung his backpack over his shoulder and left the room. The brazen blonde, no longer a child and yet not a man, headed towards the car where his sister and the promise of the mundane repetitive schedule of school awaited him.


	3. Make Good Choices!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tell me what you think!
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own BTR, as you must have noticed

The dashboard of a silver corolla shimmered in the sun as the vehicle stole up to the sidewalk along Maplewood High School's borders. Katherine detested waiting in the long and extraneous drop-off and pick-up lines and thus resorted pulling up to the curb a few feet from the school's main entrance and allowed her children to get their partial daily exercise by walking down the hill that led to their high school. As soon as the engine sputtered to a stop, Mrs. Knight flipped her sunglasses up and pushed them to rest on the crown of her head. The designer brand of shades slightly guided the wisps of her auburn hair to form back into an elegant sweep, the white plastic a sharp contrast to her maroon blouse. The woman, rushed to accomplish a list of errands, ushered her children out the side doors of the vehicle with a swift,

"I love you both!" And as if in a side note, Mrs. Knight cupped a slender hand besides her glossed lips and called out from the front car seat through the open door,

"And Kendall…," Her melodic voice met her son's ears with a charming ring, causing the teenager to stop and let Katie continue onward to school without him. He turned around slowly, a smile gracing his normally stern features, his hazel green eyes lighting up at his mother's call for his attention,

"Yes mom?" Kendall used an elbow to support his figure while he bent down and poked his head halfway inside the car,

"Make good choices!" The boy raised his eyebrows slightly then tapped on the roof of the car, mumbling,

"I always try to Mom…see ya after school." All the warmth that had previously lit up his face departed, leaving the youth to trudge along the path to school alone and grumbling about his mother's necessity to remind him of controlling his actions.

Upon reaching the base of the hill, Kendall arrived at the center of Maplewood High. A giant maple tree stood rooted at the center of campus, thus giving the old school its comprised title. Small ferns were planted around the symbolic tree in a basin of fresh dirt, the shrubbery a desirable addition to the bleak architecture of the remainder of the campus. Benches and tables were strewn about at the edges of the common area before the clearing was divided between brick walls that formed the hallways and conjunctions to the lockers, classrooms and the structure of the main office.

Kendall strolled onto campus, head down; eyes scanning the ground, watching as his converse crunched over leaves and left them crumpled in his wake. Automatically walking to a bench, he slumped onto the hard metal; wearily sinking into the same exact place he sat every morning before the first bell of class rang. Minutes later, he was joined by a blonde, her cheeks glowing in a rosy sheen due to the frosty morning air.

"Hi Baby!" She called out, waving a hand the air with excitement. He chuckled, not understanding how anyone could be so energetic this early in the morning. Once she sat down beside him, he slid an arm around her shoulder with a faint smile the only form of a greeting that he would offer. Sandy blonde and neatly plucked eyebrows crossed slightly as the girl frowned, noticing that her boyfriend was acting a little off compared to how he usually behaved.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Kendall was snapped out of the trance he was experiencing and dragged his eyes off from the floor to meet her dark irises shining with concern. Uncomfortable for making her upset, he allowed her to grip his hand while he aloofly replied,

"Same old same old….my parents are jerks."

"What did they do this time?" Kendall sighed, running his free hand through his shaggy bangs until they encased the back of his neck,

"My dad wants me to become an engineer but I'd rather play professional basketball in the NBA." The girl's face lit up with excitement, her enthusiasm evident through the tightening clench on his fingers as she eagerly chattered,

"I think you should go for it! You've got a lot of talent; I mean…you aren't captain of the basketball team for nothing!" Kendall actually laughed, the skin wrinkling into a crease at the corners of his eyes,

"Thanks that really helps! Of course I could count on you to think of me like that." Instantly, his laughter was gone once his focus returned to the initial reason for his disappointment,

"I wish my parents could see it that way." Sucking her bottom lip inwards to be gently bit with her teeth, the blonde hesitantly added,

"Well…they have a point." With that announcement, Kendall whirled around in disbelief, exclaiming,

"What?" The girl patted the back of his hand in a soothing gesture as she plainly replied,

"Calm down! I just mean that they have a point…you should focus on your schoolwork a little bit more, just in case." Realizing that she was correct in her assessment, Kendall reluctantly sighed in defeat.

"Fine…I'll work on it." Seeing the truth in his girlfriend's sentiment, he cracked a smile and gazed at her, his voice soft and more controlled,

"Thanks Jo." Jo returned his smile with one of her own, curling her forearms over his shoulders to wrap him in a warm embrace,

"Any time."


	4. Provocation & Appeasement

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Onto the story!
> 
> Warning: So this is the chapter we have all been waiting for! I must warn you, there is minor violence and there a few foul words being used in this chapter. Personally, I never use bad words and dislike cussing so it is not me using them except as dialogue to get my point across. I based this off language I have heard walking through the halls of my own high school and how some people are treated *this was written in the late 2000s; I do not intend to offend anyone and please be mature enough to realize that I am not supporting bullying or cussing in any manner.
> 
> Also, if you were wondering…Kendall is not like the Kendall we all know and love. I made him this way on purpose to fulfill the role of a bully in my story. I hope you will be able to enjoy the story regardless of that fact. Please leave a review, I am very curious to see what people think of this chapter. Thank you and peace be with you!
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own any character from BTR nor is Kendall really like this; this is just a work of fiction. Oh…and Logie will be alright :3

Abruptly, their hug was torn apart by the lengthy form of a handsome brunette who sidled up besides the couple. Kendall flinched as a large palm landed on his shoulder,

"Hey Kendall!" Kendall cocked his head sideways, glancing at his friend who had so considerately interrupted a tender moment between him and his girlfriend.

"Hi James…" Kendall did not even attempt to mask his annoyance at his friend, who apparently was oblivious as to why his friends would even be a little upset at him for getting in the middle of their hug. Kendall flicked his eyes back to his girlfriend, looking at her apologetically,

"Later, baby?" In the midst of getting up, Jo gave him one last squeeze,

"Yeah no problem, bye!" The blonde cheerfully waved goodbye to her boyfriend and also to James before she headed towards another circle of her friends who were sitting at the ledge surrounding the base of the giant maple tree.

Once Jo departed, Kendall stood up and slung his backpack over one shoulder, officially greeting James,

"Hey man. What's up?" The pair entered the nearest building and began strolling through the halls on the way to their lockers. Other students entered as well, making their way to class although the first bell had yet to ring. The students were busy chatting and waving to each other, some offering the offhand hello to Kendall and James as they were two of the main players on the basketball team that had won unordinary success this season. As the duo crossed through another entryway, James pushed the door open while chortling,

"Did you see the game last night? Man, it was awesome!" Kendall pushed the door open for a girl behind him and continued walking while sighing,

"Nah, I was busy working out at the gym. When I got home I just crashed."

"Bummer dude, you missed out on some hot cheerleaders!" James winked before getting an arm circled about his neck, Kendall pulling him down into a friendly headlock,

"Too bad you can't ever get with one of them!" James struggled out of his grip and playfully shoved his best friend away from him because of the coarse joke, laughing,

"Not fair!" Chuckling, Kendall stumbled over his feet. Losing his balance, he fell into another kid- a scrawny nerd in a typical sweater vest and sporting black rimmed glasses.

"Hey watch where you're going!" Kendall shouted as he used the kid's back to propel him back onto his feet. The boy fell to the floor, spilling the contents of his backpack onto the squared tile. Scrambling to his knees, the smaller brunette with sharply pointed dark brown hair reached out his hands in an attempt to gather his books and pens. James echoed Kendall's earlier threat as he steadied his best friend,

"Yeah you'd better watch it if you know what's good for you Mitchell." Kendall looked sideways in confusion at his friend and fellow team mate; a little surprised that James seemed so hostile. Yet his surprise soon turned into understanding sarcasm once he realized whom they were confronting.

"Oh it's you Logan…" He bent down and scruffed up Logan's neatly combed hair, "I'm sorry, did I mess up your hair?" Kendall laughed, shoving his hands into his jacket pocket as he returned to a standing position. The boy in particular wordlessly glared at Kendall then started to stand up, books in hand. Straightening his back, Logan huffed and began to walk past the blonde, books and his backpack clutched close to his chest. Just as Logan was about to depart, he was bumped harshly by James who used his shoulder to knock into the nerd's side, making him trip into the form of Kendall whose hand shot out and thrust his weaker classmate to the ground.

"Stay down Mitchell, who told you to get up?" James chimed, tugging on his black leather jacket while planting his feet firmly into the ground; his shoes landing nearby Logan's fallen frame. Logan grit his teeth in pain as his skull collided with the tile flooring. The weight of his backpack slammed on top of his stomach, the bag still clenched within his arms. Logan Mitchell ended up sprawled out on the ground, flat on his back, gazing up into the face of his tormentors.

"Just let me go…" The poor boy offered after a few moments of silence, his brown eyes looking up in exasperation at the taller figures before him. His silent plea for this whole situation to end was blatantly ignored by Kendall, who only scoffed,

"Aren't you man enough to fight back? C'mon get up!" At the first initial contact between the two students, a small crowd had lingered to find out what was going on but by now, a large circle had formed around the trio. Their peers were watching the situation, whispering quietly to one another, asking what was going on. Some yelled out cheers of encouragement, betting on who would win, most if not all votes landing on the tall, blonde basketball player who was the star of Maplewood High School. However, a mere few held their breath or a shaky hand near their mouth, unsure of what to do or how to prevent an all-out fight in the middle of the hallway.

The usually shy boy did not enjoy the sensation of multiple pairs of eyes resting on him; eyes which were judging every aspect of his being and eyes which seemed to bore into his very soul. Logan's eyes flickered between his attacker and a few classmates he recognized, causing the heat of embarrassment to raise and tinge the tips of his earlobes a bright pink. Wetting his lips and lowering his gaze, Logan murmured,

"W-what do you want from me?" Kendall blinked at the question,

"What do I want from you? Nothing Mitchell…nothing at all. It's more about what you want." He turned to motion towards the crowd behind him, whose presence he just noticed. Logan's mouth dropped slightly as he raised an eyebrow in complete confusion,

"Huh?" Kendall wasted no time in explaining, lifting his arms in the air, beckoning to the surrounding mob before claiming,

"Isn't this what you wanted, Prom Queen, all the attention?" Slack jawed, Logan stammered. Unable to form a rational response, he resorted to staring at the ground in order to avoid Kendall's piercing emerald eyes. Finally, his soft voice whispered,

"Please…I-I don't want any trouble; I'm just trying to get to class. So why don't you just leav-" Kendall speedily interrupted Logan's sentence and countered it with an arrogant,

"Well I don't want any trouble either Logan, so why don't you take out your tampon and stop being such a faggot?" Logan's eyes widened, a bright red blush absorbing his entire face. Complete embarrassment flooded his senses at the insult directed to his apparent lack of manhood. Resounding snickers and jeers encircled him in a web of malice and the clutches of mockery, trapping the boy with no exit or escape.


	5. Paralyzed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the last chapter, I got a review asking why no teacher has interfered…that is because the bell hasn't rang yet and students are still arriving so the teachers are in their classrooms preparing their lectures or still arriving I guess. Creative license so they wouldn't interfere ;p
> 
> Plus the confrontation doesn't last that long. I would have liked to make it more physical but I guess I didn't want to hurt Logan that badly, maybe next time ;)
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Big Time Rush & I wish Jo were more like this than the complete snot she is on the show ugh

The metallic ring of the school bell whistled through the campus, alerting all the students of Maplewood High School that they had ten minutes to get to class. A small huddle of girls packed up their belongings, hugged each other goodbye and departed in pairs depending on where their first class was located. A peppy blonde was accompanied by a dark beauty with ringlet curls resting at the edges of her petite collarbone. The friends discussed their upcoming anatomy class project, both holding opposing views.

"Ew why do you think it's exciting? I think it's the grossest thing ever!" Jo's face scrunched up in distaste, her little nose twitching slightly. Camille laughed at her squeamish friend, her laughter chiming like bells,

"Oh come on Jo, dissecting a cat isn't all that bad. I mean, yes it's all furry and smells-

"Yes, like old fish and decaying frogs!" Jo exclaimed to which Camille good-naturedly rolled her eyes as she explained,

"That's just the formaldehyde. It's used to kill germs and to preserve the cat so that it doesn't rot."

"I still think it's nasty!" Jo whined, crossing her arms and came to a halt before the entrance of the main school building. Camille huffed, grabbing the blonde's wrist and leading her forward while giggling,

"Well if you think it's that disgusting, you can just leave all the messy work to me."

"Oh good thing," Jo breathed a heavy sigh in relief, pushing past the double doors of the hallway for her and her friend, "because I am not looking forward to skinning it today and-"

"Hey isn't that your boyfriend?" Camille interrupted, noticing the commotion far off in the distance. Jo glanced down the hallway in confusion at the scene that was brought to her attention due to her companion. Her golden brown orbs followed the direction to where Camille's hand was pointing, recognizing a few people who were in her class. From between and beneath their crowding bodies, she caught the sight of a gray beanie hanging on the back of one guy's shaggy blonde hair. Frowning, Jo murmurs,

"I wonder what's going on over there…" Her voice trails off as she hoisted her side pouch more securely over her shoulder as the girls headed towards the lively ring of their fellow classmates. Once the pair reached the scene, Jo gently pushed her way through the crowd, coming to the forefront of the mass of people to see her boyfriend looming over the prone figure of another boy. Ragged gasps were emitted from the boy's lungs, the breaths drawn thinly between pauses as he remained paralyzed within the grasp of the larger blonde. Jo's deep brown eyes flickered across the boy's face, recognizing him as Logan, the kid who sat a few rows in front of her in their American Government class.

Fear, confusion and pain were written clearly across the victim's face, just as clearly as the purplish gray bruise that appeared to have already formed beneath the pale skin of the boy's handsome features. Her boyfriend had Logan pinned up against a metal locker hoisting him up by the neckline as his first twisted into the fabric of Logan's navy blue argyle sweater vest. Blinking out of her shock, Jo shoved her way past a few more people who easily allowed the feisty blonde to past through them until she reached the forefront of the circle. Once she reached Kendall's side, her hand shot out to grab his arm,

"Kendall stop this!" She tugged on the hem of his burgundy shirt as she plead, "What'd Logan ever do to you?"

"He got in my way." Kendall gruffly answered, not adverting his gaze from Logan to even face his girlfriend. Jo's jaw dropped slightly in utter confusion as she retorted,

"So what? It's a crowded hallway and besides, we all have to walk here." Her palms found their way to her hips and planted themselves to her hipbone as she shifted her weight onto one leg,

"What's the big deal?" Before Kendall could form a response, James quickly offered a sarcastic remark,

"Well, did you see the trail of glitter he left down the hallway?" The crowd chuckled at James's joke which was meant to further expand the rumor that Logan was more feminine than the average male. Kendall laughed the loudest, dropping Logan with a loud thud as he turned to face his friend to nudge him playfully in the side. Whooping laughter and jeers surrounded the boy on the ground who now could not see. The reason for his sudden blindness was because during the fall, his black rimmed glasses had fallen off the bridge of his nose and skidded across the tile a few yards away. Normally, Logan would have instantly strived to find his missing spectacles but due to the laughter and his lack of eyesight, all the youth could manage was a feeble search before giving up. Sick of gazing awkwardly up into the ridiculing faces of his peers surrounding him, Logan resorted to drawing his legs into his chest, curling himself up into a small ball, wanting to disappear.

Jo shook her head in disappointment, sympathy overwhelming her yet she did not know what to do. Biting her lower lip for a second, Jo summoned the courage to tug Kendall away from the circle, aloofly stating,

"Come on… let's just go." However, Kendall was not willing to listen to her, shrugging out of her grip while objecting,

"No, I'm not finished with him yet." Jo was shocked, stunned for a moment as Kendall turned around yet again to continue his tirade on the helpless boy curled up before him. Suddenly, Jo was able to snap out of her daze. She quietly came up behind Kendall, resting a palm on his shoulder gently, causing her boyfriend to face her. Her deep brown orbs flecked with gold scanned his face creased with lines of hostility, desperately searching for an explanation as to what was causing Kendall's absurd behavior. Her hopeful eyes soon hardened in disappointment; not finding what she had so desired to discover within his face-compassion. She glanced to the side, swallowing the image of the terrified boy rocking back and forth with his head pressed into his knees. Shakily, she drew in a breath before facing Kendall with determination ringing in her voice,

"Well if you're not done with him, I'm done with you."


	6. Its Never a Clean Break

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> People wanted more drama and conflict and although I have decided to continue it instead of ending here, I really want to get to back to my James kidnapping stories. Oh well, I'll keep writing this until its done :)
> 
> Thanks for coming along for the ride, there are many more stories planned in the future and I hope you all will continue to read, support and encourage me; your reviews really inspire and help me to continue writing.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Big Time Rush…but if I did, Jo would be much more like this & people would actually LIKE her :P

The petite blonde turned hard on her heels and stalked off. Camille glided behind her friend on their way to class, glancing back and forth between the feuding couple.

"Jo…he's looking after you." Camille softly whispered under her breath to her friend, her low pumps clicking on the tiled surface as she strove to catch up with the fast pace Jo had set. When she received no reply, she tried again with a simple suggestion-

"Maybe you should go back?" Jo shook her head furiously from side to side, uttering a single syllable,

"No."

"B-but why not?" Camille grabbed Jo by the shoulder, halting their retreat from the scene only meters down the hallway, "You said some pretty harsh things to him, even in front of all those people! You didn't need to get so worked up because of some pathetic nerd that got on Kendall's nerves. Think about what you are doing! You don't want to break up after five years of dating just because of this!" Jo whirled around, her hands flying out beside her body in frustration,

"Camille, don't you get it? That's not how you treat people, no matter what!" She dropped her arms, letting them brush against her bag and skirt. She sighed, studying the pattern of her floral skirt as she thought. After a moment or two, her light pink tongue wetted her lips, enabling her to speak in a quieter tone as she continued,

"I realized just then that I don't want to be a part of something like that. I never want to hurt a person in that way, especially over something so stupid…I don't get why Kendall is being like this!"

"What do you mean Jo?" Camille asked, pushing a curl of her chocolate brown hair behind her earlobe as she waited for her companion to vent about the miscommunication between her two warring friends.

"For months now, he's been so angry and upset yet he never tells me what's going on!" Jo explained, "He won't let me help him." She gripped her head, her dainty fingers threading through her blonde hair to her scalp,

"I-I don't know what to do…I don't know how to be a good girlfriend or how to support him if he won't even let me in and tell me what's wrong! But more than that-that made me so angry…t-to see Logan on the ground like that. He was circled by everyone who was just laughing at him, laughing! And no one even tried to help him or stop it. And do you know what the worst part is?" Camille was quiet, nodding her head, eagerly edging Jo to finish her sentence.

"The worst part," Her hand fell from the crown of her head to cover the slight expanse of skin that made up her pale forehead, "the worst part is that it was him doing it. Kendall, my Kendall…the guy I think is so great, the man who is a natural leader and who can do so much to help others-he is the exact person who is causing more pain in this world!" Her freshly manicured nails found themselves placed on her chest as she contemplated the decision of how to handle this situation,

"If he's willing to get over his pride and come apologize to me, but most importantly, Logan; I will forgive him. I don't like what he did and I don't want anything to do with it-and if Kendall doesn't understand how serious I am, maybe it's for the best if we…split up." Her breath hitched on the last phrase, tears forming at the corners of her eyes. Camille scooped her into an embrace, giving her a comforting hug while stroking her friend's beautiful golden hair in a soothing manner,

"I-I'm sure he'll turn around and see that he was wrong. Don't worry, we'll get through this. I promise!" Jo sniffed, wiping escaped tears from her cheeks and straightening up,

"You think so?" Camille nodded, a sympathetic smile gracing her elegant features,

"I know so. Now all we can do is hope for the best…and get to class!" Jo chuckled, realizing that they were now the only ones remaining in the once crowded hallway. She quickly fixed her appearance, removing all traces of her tears and unhappiness by forcing a small smile onto her face as she followed Camille towards their classroom. Before entering, Jo happened to glance down the hallway, combing her left hand through her hair as Camille pushed past her to enter their Anatomy class. Jo however, in the middle of brushing her hair, could have sworn that she saw a single glimmer sparkle yards away on the checkered tile. When she tilted her head to get a closer look, the light seemed to vanish, leaving not a trace of that something that was once there and yet now…was gone.

* * *

**Last sentence was based off of Robert Frost's poem "For Once, Then, Something." The entire point of this story was to bring awareness to bullying. We need to do our best to stand up for what is right, to not be afraid of what people may think about our actions if we protect and support someone who is viewed to be a social outcast or if they are being picked on. Bullying occurs so often in life in many forms and methods. It is the least I can do to try to bring this issue to light in a semi-dramatic way.**

**Forgive me for the use of vulgar language and for portraying Kendall in this manner; I do not view him to be like that or to ever act that way towards Logan yet I thought that it was necessary to get the point across of how cruel people can be and personally, this fic was a whole lot more gentle than I had originally imagined. Each of us must make an effort to be kind, to encourage others, and to simply smile…you never know how much a simple action can affect a person's life and even the world. So let's strive to be world changers my fellow readers, lets' be the difference we want to see in the world and make this a better place. Thank you so very much for all your support and opinions, I really appreciate them and hope you'll join me in the future for the works I have planned. Live, Laugh….and above all, Love.**

**It was supposed to end here but now I am continuing yet I am leaving the above message because I think it is important and this chapter carries the message the clearest. Thanks and I hope you look forward to the next chapter!**


	7. Slipping

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy the next chapter!
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from Big Time Rush. Kendall's a jerk and having issues.

Forms of bodies hovered and shifted past him in a blur as Kendall remained standing in the middle of the hallway, shock rooting him to the spot.

He could hear a rush of voices and the movement of various colored blocks and irregular shapes forming the mass of people crowded around the quickly diminishing semi-circle that he had constructed a few short minutes ago.

A low whistle cracked the silence of his mind, returning the focus of his conscious daze to the present moment. His emerald green eyes switched to where the sound resonated from, realizing that it was James who had wound his lips in a small circle to release a low shrill tone followed by a simple, half complete comment,

"That's rough man….," His larger, slightly bronzed hand came to rest on Kendall's shoulder, the sympathetic gesture enough to make Kendall flinch and snap out of his phase, "So what should we do about him?" The lengthy youth with perfectly trimmed hair tilted his head towards the crumpled form of Logan who peered out cautiously from between laced fingers that were protectively covering his bruised face.

Twin, hawk-like eyes rotated until the bright green irises flecked with gray settled on the figure of the boy curled on the tiled floor.

The brief thought of an apology flashed through his mind, forcing the blonde to contemplate that course of action-actively admitting that even he had no clue as to why he was taking his anger out on his weaker classmate in the first place. Yet as suddenly as the thought flashed through his frontal lobe, it was replaced with the memory of how-because of this boy-his girlfriend had broken up with him.

Anger violently rose up through his sternum, making Kendall's stomach sour and queasy. His gaze immediately hardened into a scowl. Any remorse the blonde teenager had been harboring deserted him at that moment, leaving him with a sinking feeling in the pit of his abdomen.

Kendall harshly shrugged out of James's concerned hold on his shoulder, rushing past his friend in an attempt to flee from the entire scene. All he could think of as he raced down the hallway, past classrooms, lockers and his fellow classmates, was the notion fluttering in the back of his mind that screamed how he wish he could take back what he did; frustration surging through him at his weakness and inability to control his anger and the unfortunate turn of events.

After stalking off and seeking refuge in the classroom he was supposed to have arrived in fifteen minutes earlier, Kendall was able to compose himself and begin to think rationally. Sliding into a plastic chair, dumping his backpack sloppily on the ground, Kendall folded his arms across the surface of the wooden desk and buried his face in the folds of his burgundy long-sleeved shirt, breathing in the faint scent of lavender that had been used as a softener during the article of clothing's last wash cycle.

The scent calmed him as he breathed deeply, soaking the comfort of a familiar scent into his nostrils in order to allow him to breathe easier. Kendall had originally decided to focus all of his attention on the task of sitting through mundane lectures and meaningless assignments to avoid worrying himself with his present situation yet the opportunity of a nap became the most attractive form of retreat from the realities of life as he sunk further into the crease of his elbow, resting his head wearily on arms while letting his pale eyelids gently close and block out the truth weighing heavily upon his shoulders. Fortunately, Kendall had built the reputation of being a slacker in the majority of his courses so his blatant disregard for his teacher's lecture was not questioned as he slipped into a restless sleep.

The harsh metallic ring of the school bell snapped Kendall awake from his day dream and brought him crashing back to reality. An entire forty-five minutes had transpired without his knowing.

Students were filing out of the class and chatting to one another amiably about the upcoming Winter Formal dance. Not lifting his head in the pretense of still being asleep, the fabric of his shirt hid the lower portion of Kendall's face as he bit his lower lip in disappointment. Hadn't Jo spoken to him about this dance coming up only a few weeks ago? At the time, he was not particularly thrilled to be all gussied up and paraded about for the night in a tuxedo mainly due to his shy nature and difficulty with dancing. He remembered clearly putting up an argument when she had pleaded with him to attend yet now it was apparent that he would not even get the option of escorting Jo to the dance. This realization lit yet another spark of regret in Kendall's repertoire of past mistakes.

An angry sighed slipped from his lips as he reluctantly shuffled out of his seat as his homeroom teacher made a move to approach him, most likely in the hopes to comfort him and glean any juicy information out of the usually quiet and collected individual. His hand grasped the black backpack strap and slung the object over one shoulder as he headed out of the room, darting between students attempting to enter the classroom.

Shoving through people milling about like sardines trapped within an aquarium, Kendall glimpsed the shower of blonde hair that he recognized instantly. The curtain of shimmering gold had a similar shape and flip to the ends of it like his girlfriend's. "Ex-girlfriend", he bitterly reminded himself, yet determinedly pushed through the barrier of people between the girl and his side in the hopes of confronting the girl he had once called his own.

Sidling up besides the frame of the locker she was peering into, Kendall placed a heavy palm on the hinge, causing the door to shut without a warning.

"Hey!" She cried, drawing her fingertips back quickly from the metal box in order for them to not be crushed between the panels.

"Hey yourself," Kendall smugly grinned, beaming down into her startled face, "Surprised to see me?" Jo's jaw floundered in the air for a brief moment before she shut her mouth and flipped her head back and forth, shaking it sideways in annoyance at his attitude and rude greeting. Kendall rolled his eyes, a playful smile still on his face,

"Calm down Jo, I knew it wasn't going to hurt you. Besides, I was just joking around."

"Well I don't think you're very funny," She humphed, tilting her nose in the air. Jo held her books betwixt the cavity of her chest as she turned on her heel, letting the golden cascade of her blonde hair waft the fresh scent of citrus and honey into his smug face. Insulted at her rejection, Kendall reached out for her,

"Jo! Jo, turn around!" About to grab her wrist, Kendall pulled back before his hand made contact with her delicate forearm, stilling the motion of his action in midair. Jo could be so unreasonable at times and jump to conclusions so Kendall decided that if he spun her around and forced her to stop and listen, it would probably end poorly for him and be more than he bargained for. Instead he called after her, his voice ringing harshly and slamming into her retreating figure,

"Jo! Come on, Jo-face me! God, why can't you even stop to listen to me?" None of his words got a reaction from his departing ex-girlfriend whose gaze remained fixed on the path in front of her.

If only Kendall had been able to view the situation at a different angle, he might have been able to catch the sparkle of moisture that had appeared when he had first cried out for the petite blonde to turn around. The formation of tears, which were clinging to the young woman's dark lashes, desperately struggled not to escape and roll down her porcelain cheekbone; however, the frustrated boy who was not yet a man would remain oblivious. He would never know how much his words hurt and impacted her despite Jo's ability to not reveal her inner turmoil. Fuming, Kendall shouted,

"Fine, just walk away! Just leave like everybody else!" His knuckles curled into his palm as he smashed a closed fist into the door of Jo's locker, the metal reverberating with the force of his strike, "I don't need you anyways!"


	8. Descending Further

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I went back and re-read this story and I think it's just "blah" work and I know that I can do way better than this and it makes me so mad that I continuously make so many mistakes *sigh* At least I'll also be adding some drama between a certain blonde & brunette ;)
> 
> I think Kendall is sort of shy; I know the actor has claimed to be so and to me, it fits for his character to be inwardly shy and to feel awkward with himself in my story. The reason is because in the research that I have found, most bullies are insecure with themselves and that's why they behave the way they do to put up a strong outward appearance so that no one can see how much they are hurting inside.
> 
> Please keep reading/reviewing, love you all!
> 
> *Also, sorry one more note…I adore Frankenstein(especially Victor Frankenstein ah!) and hey, it serves as a good parallel to Kendall's situation-you'll see!
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own BTR & yikes, that's a long author's note!

Days passed, turning into weeks without either of the former couple talking or acknowledging each other's presence at school. Kendall's mannerisms had formed into a sporadic roller-coaster of emotional highs and lows.

Covering up his pain by keeping his mouth sealed shut and face masked within the frame of the hoodie of his jacket, the blonde teenager loped into a peculiar silence. His temperament could be described as moody and distant at best.

He spent many hours of his day simply daydreaming through his courses, looking out the window completely bored with existing; similar to how he was spending the last dwindling minutes of his English class.

Balancing a pen between large knuckles, Kendall stared nonchalantly up into the clear blue sky, observing how full white clouds would pull themselves across the horizon and towards the glowing sphere of energy and heat.

"C'mon man, time to go."

"Hmm," Kendall hummed, wordlessly folding his notebook and stuffing it into his backpack in order to join James who had already made his way to the front of the classroom and was currently mingling with some buddies.

Zipping the bag closed and slinging it over his back, Kendall met up with the others, standing awkwardly on the outskirts of the main conversation. James noticed Kendall's sullen behavior out of the peripherals of his eyesight but flicked his attention back to his classmate Danny who was asking James a question about their upcoming test on Frankenstein:

"I just don't get why that insane inventor had to go and mess up his life by creating the monster-why do you think he would even do that? I know he wanted to make a scientific discovery but seriously, why'd he have to go that far?"

"Well, I've heard that obsession can blind you," James explained, "And Victor was determined to reanimate the monster no matter the consequences in order to find a solution to create life and possibly bring back his dead mother."

"Yeah I know, but don't you think he'd realize that it wouldn't work in the end?" A boy named Tim spoke up. James scratched his chin before stating,

"I guess he became obsessed with his plans and wasn't thinking clearly. He got deluded into believing that he was right and before he could stop it, it was already too late to take back what he did. He created a monster…" Slowly, hazel brown eyes drifted to the hooded figure standing aloofly at the corner of their semi-circled discussion of the novel,

"And in the end, the monster destroyed everything that he loved." At these words, Kendall glanced up upon feeling the weight of James's gaze on himself. The pair shared a moment of silence, Kendall wondering as to why James's was giving him a strange look; a look indicating something deeper with those words, apparently connecting his actions with those of the ill-fated genius that met a gruesome fate due to his own selfish ambitions. The moment was disturbed by James's wavering gaze that became distracted by the chiming bell which successfully brought the English session to a close.

As the fellow classmates pulled apart and bid each other farewell, Kendall sidled up next to James, tugging on his jacket sleeve once they passed the door frame of their classroom,

"What was that supposed to mean?" James shrugged out of Kendall's hold on his jacket, stepping back and away from his friend, flipping his shaggy bangs out of his vision.

"What do you think it meant?"

"How am I supposed to know?" Kendall sputtered, "I haven't even read the book so I have no clue!"

"No kidding, you just stare out the window every day ever since-"James bit his tongue, refusing to finish what he was about to say. Kendall immediately understood that James was commenting on his sullen behavior due to the fact that his relationship with Jo had ended a month ago and he was making no effort to get over his heartache.

The tension between the pair was distilled by the sudden embrace of a tanned boy who wrapped his arms affectionately around both of their necks, drawing them towards one another in a warm group hug.

"Hey dudes, long time no see!" James playfully pulled apart, straightening his tall frame up before fondly ruffling the younger boy's finely gelled dark black hair,

"Hahah sup Carlitos! Man, it's been a long time-I haven't seen you since…since last period!" Carlos jokingly pouted, pushing away from James's offending hand, shielding his head with his hands,

"Aw stop it, you're messin' up my hair-I worked hard on it you know!"

"Learnin' to style your hair from a pro like me; I see you've been studying well young pupil." James dramatically decreed and bowed to Carlos who in turn bent at the waist and bowed back at the Grand Hair Master known as James Diamond. Standing in such close proximity to one another, they slightly knocked into the other's head. They broke into a peel of laughter, gripping their suddenly sore foreheads.

The entire exchange occurred without a word spoken by Kendall who had resorted to reclining against the wall and blatantly ignoring the appearance of his friend. Fortunately, Carlos was too enthralled in the current story he was relaying to James as the pair began to float down the hallway leaving the blonde in their wake. Kendall heaved himself from the wall and reluctantly trailed behind the chattering duo.

"Dude, I'm so psyched for practice today!"

"Why's that buddy?" James inquired before Carlos curled his fingers together and hunched his shoulder's in an excited gesture,

"Coach says that I've been improving and that if I keep doing well, I can possibly be a starter in the next game!"

"Woah man, that's awesome!" James lowered an open palm, to which Carlos merrily jumped up to slap the hand for a high five before exclaiming,

"I know, right?" Carlos turned his chin, looking expectantly for praise from his silent companion walking on his left. Yet Kendall did not recognize Carlos's call for applause and kept his gaze primarily on the multi-colored tile beneath their feet.

Taken aback by the cold vibe Carlos felt drifting towards him, he turned his attention back to James with an expression that desperately called for an explanation. However, James shook his head, silently telling Carlos not to question their friend's odd behavior.

The look Carlos shot at James was almost enough to make James want to snap at Kendall for ignoring the boy whose once happy face and attitude was now shadowed with concern and pity that the Hispanic teen felt for his grieving friend. James sighed,

"Let's head to the lockers, practice is about to start."

The squeaking sound of rubber soles on the slippery wax surface of the basketball court announced the hurried movements of a team focused on moving together as one force through the course of their practice.

Balls zipped through the air, crisscrossing until they arrived in the expecting palms of their counterpart who would dribble the ball down the court, past the defenders until the player had a clear shot at the basket. With a whoosh, the balls often sailed through the net with ease or shoddily struck the backboard of the net or tipped off the rim of the basket; the burnt orange skin of the ball landing on the ground with a thud before bouncing beyond the limit of the court.

After series of passing and dribbling drills, the team set into an intense scrimmage game which divided the team into two parties. The whistle blown, the game began with a flurry of movement and sound. Rustling jerseys, the scuffled rise and fall of sneakers across the smooth flooring and labored breathing soon erupting into the suffocating air of the gym as the intensity of the game increased.

Upon staggering behind a point guard who lost his handle on the ball, Kendall rapidly picked the basketball up and began sprinting towards the opposite side of the court. He aptly weaved between members of the other team, switching the ball between his left and right hand whenever necessary in order to make progress down the court cluttered with a swarm of sweating athletes.

In a flash, Kendall found himself confronted with two large post defenders who successfully managed to shove him into a corner. Their large arms rose above his head, screening all possible angles to the basket. Out of nowhere, Kendall heard the shout of one of his team mates calling his name, crying that he was open and free to score a point for their team.

The blonde boy's dark eyebrows bent with frustration as he decided that he would ignore his team mate's plea for the ball; determined to show off his skill and prove that he could lead his team to victory.

Skin slick with perspiration rubbed against one another as the two opposing defenders struggled to get the basketball out of Kendall's grip. With a jerky twist, Kendall dislodged their grasp on the ball and pivoted backwards, momentarily clearing the space to set himself up for an open shot to the basket. The ball received no assistance from the spectrum of gravity as Kendall shot the orb into the air. It hung there, rotating gradually as if caught in the slow-motion effect of a major Hollywood film.

The roar of his teammate's excitement reached his ears, causing Kendall to notice the mass of bodies surging forward. There they stood, waiting beneath the basket-some in the hopes of regaining the ball or wishing that it would sink through the net.

Despite the commotion around him, Kendall's gaze remained transfixed on the revolving sphere climbing bit by bit to the basket, his breath baiting in his lungs as his eyes widened in sheer exhilaration and the expectation that the court would explode into applause in a matter of seconds.

Yet as things often do not go according to plan, Kendall's hopes and expectations did not come to the expected result. Balancing on the steel circle during the shot expanse of time it took to blink an eyelash, the ball began to waver and tilt. Clanging harshly, the ball dropped from the rim.

Light faded from Kendall's eyes as a whoop went up from the opposing team, whose forwards quickly retrieved the ball. All the players expect for Kendall, turned around and resumed their position of defending their basket which was currently enduring a siege.

Kendall however, remained standing stock still, eyes glued to the floor in disbelief. James, who was jogging back to his side of the court, realized that Kendall had not joined his team mates in their attempt to reclaim the ball.

"Yo, Kendall!" He cupped his hands and called out, "Get over here!"

The sudden shout jolted Kendall from his disappointment. He unwillingly picked up his knees and dragged his feet across the court until he reached his fellow teammates. The tide of the game switched back and forth, both teams occasionally having an edge over the other for a few plays before the score returned to the status of being evenly matched.

The sharp ring of a metallic whistle blown by the coach signaled the end of the scrimmage game. The players haphazardly dropped their aggressive positions, loping into a sense of camaraderie as they circled before their coach positioned near the bleachers, the entire team gelling together once more as a united force.

"Good practice boys!" Coach Carter said before jotting down a few notes on his clipboard, "Ya'll can get some water then huddle up on the bench." The athletes did as they were instructed, leisurely strolling to the bleachers to gather their water bottles, towels and gear.

Amid the players cooling off, wiping away their sweat with white towels and guzzling water down their throats while cracking jokes and resuming the usual tom-foolery that boys participated in, Kendall sat isolated on the bench sipping from his bottle. Carlos came over and sat down beside him, a towel resting over his shoulder blades,

"Whew! That was some practice, huh Kendall?" Green eyes roved to the olive-skinned youth as a single syllable dropped from the blonde's lips,

"Yeah." Disappointed with the response, Carlos swallowed another gulp of water, brushing his lips with the back of his hand, about to attempt to continue the conversation. Yet before he was able to, James slid onto the bench, his long legs sprawled out as he reclined back along the silver strip of metal.

"Hey guys, whatcha talking about?" Cheerfully Carlos turned his attention to the newcomer,

"Nothing much, just asking Kendall what he thought of practice." James cracked an eye open, deterred from taking a quick spout of shut eye before the coach began their after practice lecture,

"Hmm, and what'd you say Kendall?" In response, Kendall merely shrugged,

"It was nothing special, just practice."

"What about the shot you missed?" James sat up, pushing the question. He did this, knowing full well that Kendall was still upset about that disappointing element of an otherwise amazing practice. Kendall in turn flashed daggers back at James, retorting with a curt,

"What about the two you missed, huh?" A smug grin broke out on the brunette's face before he calmly replied,

"I got them back and wound up scoring six points in total, didn't I?" Kendall flared his nostrils in irritation and decidedly turned to face Carlos,

"And what about you?"

"What do you mean Kendall?" Kendall rolled his eyes in annoyance, assuming that the meaning of his question should have been obvious,

"I meant, how was practice for you, stupid?" A fluttery and awkward laugh escaped from Carlos, his already flushed cheeks turning a tint redder due to acknowledging the insult before responding,

"Oh well…hey, did you see the three-pointer I made?" James smug grin burst into a blinding smile as he lightly punched Carlos in the shoulder,

"Yeah I did, it was awesome!" The friendly congratulations from James allowed Carlos to ignore being called unintelligent by his longtime friend and let his over enthusiastic attitude to return. Carlos scooted back on the bench to get more comfortable on the cold metal seat before teasingly snubbing his short nose into the air,

"See, I told you I was getting better!"

"It wasn't that impressive," Kendall lowly murmured. Wide-eyed, Carlos and James exchanged a surprised glance before James commented,

"Dude, not cool."

"What? It wasn't." Kendall sourly explained as the bench began to fill up with other members of their team, "I've shot a three-point shot a dozen of times and so have you."

"Yeah, but still…" James shook his head, his bangs swaying out of his face as he turned to directly face Carlos with a friendly encouragement,

"Don't listen to what he's saying…you're doing great." A thin smile stretched on the Latino boy's lips which parted slightly, wording his thanks silently to the tall brunette.

"Okay everybody, circle up!" Coach Carter hollered, holding his clipboard within the crook of his left arm while he waited for the stragglers to take their position on the bench.

"We have an intense game against the Occidental Armadillos scheduled for next week, Friday at eight o'clock. Make sure you show up at seven thirty in your white jerseys; no excuses and I'd better not catch any of you sneaking to warm ups late, y'got that?" Heads nodded in recognition before he cleared his throat,

"Hurmph! Alright men, listen up for whose starting! Daniel, Luke, Will, Brandon and-" He paused, a twinkle in his eye as he scanned the bench for the individual he was searching for,

"A big round of applause to a new comer to the line-Mr. Carlos Garcia!" Cheers and a few pats on the back struck Carlos's back as he pushed off the metal bench, jumping up and down in excitement.

Immediately following Carlos's burst, a water bottle went skidding against the gilded surface of the floor, clacking loudly and spinning about in a distorted way before slowly spiraling to a halt.

The red plastic tip wobbled slightly before stilling itself to point back towards the direction from whence it originated, illuminating the furious figure of Kendall storming away from his team mates and towards the exit of the gymnasium.

Carlos's instantly extracted his excitement, withdrawing his emotions with a grimace. Guilt swarmed him upon the realization that by receiving his position as a starter, he had unintentionally replaced Kendall in the upcoming game. Lowering his arms to childishly cup them behind his back, he leaned forward,

"Uh…sorry Kendall! I didn't mean to, I don't know, I just-"

"Whatever!" Kendall muttered loudly from a few paces away, bee-lining straight for the door. He had almost passed the crate of basketballs lined up besides the end of the bleachers when his retreat was stopped by the roar of his coach,

"Knight, get back here this instant! What do you think you're doing?" Resolutely, Kendall turned and approached his team, their stunned expressions leering out at him as if he were some freak creature held behind the bars of a circus exhibition.

"Answer the question Kendall." The coach demanded, folding his burly arms across his chest, awaiting a response from the teen standing awkwardly before the entire team.

"Nothing Coach; I wasn't doing anything," Came the aloof reply as Kendall turned his gaze nonchalantly to the windows of the stadium, distracting himself once again from reality by studying the clouds floating past in the sky.

"Nothing my ass, Kendall! That is not the way to behave no matter how upset you are. Now I want you to apologize to Carlos."

"What?" Squeaked Kendall, his voice floundering with anger, "But Coach, why should I have to apologize to him? It's not my fault that he's an awful player and doesn't deserve to take my place as a starter in our biggest game! This isn't even my fault and I-"

"Enough!" The Coach threw his folded arms down and out in a sweeping gesture as he continued to berate the arrogant boy, "Since you can't seem to even apologize to your friend, you're going to stay here for twenty more minutes and practice your shooting."

Coach Carter fixed his gaze on the crestfallen Garcia who stood there, mouth hanging open in bewilderment about what he was hearing. As if on a side note, in order to lower the teen's ego by a few pegs, the coach decided to add,

"You need the help anyways and maybe that'll cool ya off a bit. Alright, everyone clear out-practice is over."

An awkward silence and the shuffling of gathering belongings could be heard as the team exited the gym. Hushed sniggers within the few minutes it took for the majority of the team to leave reached Kendall's ears.

The whispered comments and jokes caused the blonde youth to glare at the supposed culprit who was the reason for why he had just been humiliated in front of the entire basketball team. Carlos had not moved from his position on the court nor had his gaze left the twisted face of his friend.

"K-Kendall…?" Carlos attempted to call, lifting an arm outstretched in apology. Dark brown eyes squinted in disbelief as they witnessed the blonde who harshly turned his gaze away from Carlos, leaving him with his back, cold and vacant of all emotion.

Slowly and deliberately, the arm lowered and in a few moments, Carlos wordlessly left the gym. James, who had preoccupied himself with packing up his used jersey and water bottle, happened to look up at the exact moment Carlos was passing by.

He paused, resting his forearm on his knee, watching his friend leave, noticing how hurried and sloppy his movements were. Disappointed, James simply gazed longingly after his retreating figure, wishing he could do something to cheer Carlos up but finding no solution except to remain on the deserted bench.

The sound of a falling ball hit his eardrums, signaling for James to turn around and watch the scene playing out before his hazel eyes: there his coach stood in his signature pose, his large arms folded over his chest with a unpleasant scowl creasing his forehead as he criticized Kendall who was aimlessly shooting at the basket, every shot lifted into the air without a trace of effort.

Every few minutes, Coach Carter would snap, shouting out instructions along with a stream of insults. He eventually pressed Kendall to work hard, beads of sweat emerging from the player's skin as he pushed on into the mercilessly throes of his punishment, scrambling after the ball, sprinting for the half way mark, reassuming the shooting position, firing the ball, often missing, being hollered at and forced to repeat the process a dozen times.

After fifteen minutes had transpired, James stole up to the side of his coach, stiffly watching Kendall trail down the court to attempt a lay-up. Peering at his coach while still keeping his attention on Kendall, James spoke,

"Hey Coach…" Coach Carter tilted his head to the right, surprised to see James still in the building,

"What're you up to Diamond, didn't I dismiss you a while ago?" James nodded to this while he twisted his body to face his coach head on in order to strike up an actual conversation,

"Yeah but you see, that's my friend over there and I usually go home with him."

"Oh I see." The pair lapsed into momentary silence until James tried one last time to speak with the stern man.

"So Coach…I was thinking, there is only about five minutes left of practice for Kendall. How bout I watch him for you so you can go home sooner?" Coach Carter scoffed,

"What'd ya take me for James? I can't let you watch him; the second I leave I bet you two will just sneak out of here. And besides," He unfolding his arms, sighing,  
"If I do that, Kendall probably won't listen to you anyways."

"Oh don't worry about that," James winked, "I've got my ways to make Kendall do what I want." Coach Carter chuckled awkwardly, not knowing how to comprehend that comment before shaking it off by running a hand wearily through his greying hair,

"I'm sure you do. Okay fine Diamond. I'll let you do it this time; I'm sick of being in this sweaty gym anyways." His cheeks puffed up, red and bright as he poked James in the chest, "Now listen here James, you'd better actually make him finish the rest of his drills! If I find out that you let him stop early I'll be so angry I'll just…ah who am I kidding? Even if you both leave, there's only about four minutes left of practice at this point." His finger lowered into the form of an entire hand which then patted James on the shoulder.

The stout, middle-aged man then began packing up his belongings into his briefcase while James warbled a sincere promise,

"Don't worry Coach, I promise I'll make him stay and that we won't leave until time's up." A rare glimmer of a smile broke across the old man's countenance as he began to head out of the gym,

"I trust you Diamond; make me proud. Until tomorrow!"

"See ya Coach."

Suddenly the coach stopped in his tracks, thinking it was Kendall who bid him farewell. He spun around, his gaze transfixed on the boy who had not taken the time to even acknowledge his coach's departure. Realizing that the farewell call had only issued from James, the coach's bad mood returned, replacing the small smile that had lightened his features but a moment ago. He left huffily, stowing his clipboard beneath his armpit as he opened the door and departed through it; leaving the two teens alone in the gym.

Between multitudes of balls sinking into the net, one so happened to fly across the gym after rebounding off of the backboard. Kendall immediately ran after it and then positioned himself yet again at the three point line.

Before resuming the series of incessant shooting, he wiped away the perspiration from his forehead with the hem of his jersey. Placing the ball into the hollow of his palm, guiding the outside surface with his opposite hand, he bent his knees then sent the ball soaring into space.

The tarnished leather orb ricocheted off the metal frame of the basket and bounced towards the stands where James was reclining, busy counting the panes of glass in the large window panels lining the two sides of the gym walls.

The lengthy brunette noticed the ball rolling towards him and aptly decided to push himself into a sitting position, stepping on the ball to make it come to a stop beneath his foot.

"Hey," He called, "Want me to rebound?" Kendall's flushed face drew itself into a slight smile, inwardly appreciating that his friend did not leave him and that he now no longer had to run all over the court after the inaccurate shots he made.

James took his friend's smile as a sign of approval and thus, slowly heaved himself up, ball in hand, taking his time to walk over under the basket. He gently thrust the ball across the small distance between him and to the blonde who caught the ball with ease.

They remained in this manner, Kendall shooting and James retrieving the loose basketball, for a while, running down the clock which increasingly inched closer and closer to the time in which they could both return home.

After rebounding for a bit, James nonchalantly began a conversation. His first topic was focused on the course of practice, new patterns and drills before digging into heavier material such as lightly bringing up the question about how Kendall felt about no longer being a starter in the upcoming game:

"Y'know, I was really upset at first but now that I think of it, I'm actually happy for Carlos."

"What changed your mind?" James asked, tossing his friend the ball in order for Kendall to take another shot.

"Well…he's been trying really hard to get this spot for a while and I know I don't act like it, but I actually think he deserves it."

"Then why'd you chuck your water bottle and try to storm out of the room?" James chided sardonically, a grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. Kendall noticed this and reluctantly grinned as well,

"Oh lay off already-I told you I was just angry! Coach can get me so mad at times and today certainly wasn't the best day to let me know that one of my closest friends is replacing me." Kendall inhaled a puff of air before sending the ball up and into the net with a quiet swish.

"But it doesn't matter anyways…I'm sort've over basketball." James lifted an eyebrow to this new revelation,

"But I thought that was your dream? To get a scholarship and make it big time in the NBA…what gives man?" Kendall simply shrugged,

"I'm just over it." James scowls at the answer, clutching the ball in between his palms while asking,

"But Kendall, you've been working so hard for this your entire life and now that it is your final year in high school, you're about to give it up? I don't get it. What else are you going to do?" Kendall caught the ball that James passed to him at the end of his sentence, replying,

"My dad wants me to get into some form of business."

"But you hate business." James pointed out.

"But," Kendall enunciated, "It pays well." James shook his head in disappointment to which Kendall paused mid-shot, bringing the ball down, center to his chest in order ask him what was wrong. James initially shook his head,

"Nothing dude." Kendall nodded, easily accepting the short answer, about to shoot again yet his motion was stopped when James began again by stating,

"You know what, no. I'm not fine."

"What's bothering you?" Kendall ventured, finally cooled off and calmed down from a two hour and a half practice.

"You." The single noun uttered from James came out suddenly and without warning, his tone of voice suddenly cold.

"Me?" Kendall exclaimed, completely thrown aback by the attack.

"Yes you."

"What'd I do?" He asked, exasperated and confused by James's words which were not making any sense to him.

"I-I don't know," James attempted, "You've been acting so strange for the past month, ever since…." He trailed off, his gaze suddenly timid beneath the piercing eyes of his friend.

"Since when? Huh, when James?" Kendall took a step forward, daring the taller boy to finish his sentence. James's eyes flashed up at his friend, a spark of anger shinning in the base of the pupil,

"You know when, don't make me say it!"

"Whatever." There came the line again, the line that allowed Kendall to back out of any conflict and distract himself with the current situation he found himself within. He began to shoot again, the ball almost making another point but this time, it bounced off the rim and slapped against the backboard and onto the floor.

James bent his large frame down, extending his arms to recover the ball. The towering boy picked it up before straightening his torso, his fingers ghosting over the rough skin of the basketball, lost deep in thought.

"Give me the ball." Kendall ordered. Instead of complying with his friend's wishes, James tucked the ball into the crook of his left arm, refusing by finally asserting himself,

"Look Kendall, we've got to talk."

"Talk? About what?" Kendall exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air, "What is there to talk about?"

"Everything!" James snapped violently, "What's going on with you man?" Kendall shook his head,

"Ugh, I don't want to do this right now." The blonde bit the inside of his cheek, believing as if by sealing his mouth he would not be forced to speak.

"If we don't talk now, it'll never happen."

"J-just give me the ball James!" The dark-haired boy rolled his eyes before finally relenting, tossing him the ball with only one hand; purposely making the pass sloppy. However, Kendall managed to catch the ball albeit very awkwardly having to scoop it up before the base hit the polished flooring.

Without a word, he shot again, the ball making a basket with ease, even coming to roll back to him. As he once again bent down to pick it up, James muttered carelessly under his breath,

"It's your fault."

"Excuse me?" Kendall's head whipped up to face his friend who was now leaning against the post of the hoop, facing aloofly to the side as if having no interest in the matter.

"You heard me."

"No, tell me right now." Kendall demanded, his voice grating, taking a few intimidating steps towards James. This demand finally caused James to drop his composure,

"See it's just like that man! You're acting as though you can tell me to do whatever you want! And you know what? I was a fool to listen to you!" This comment took Kendall off guard, forcing him to ask a question in the midst of their argument, much to his displeasure,

"What do you mean?"

"Like that whole thing with Mitchell! Seriously, what was that?"

"I-it was nothing James…h-he got in our way." Kendall dropped his gaze to the ball in his hands, not knowing what else to say, knowing that was not the full reason as to his outburst a few weeks ago.

"Great explanation…" James huffed sarcastically before heaving himself off of the pole. He came to stand with his feet planted firmly on the waxed hardwood floor a few meters away from Kendall before continuing his viewpoint,

"I don't know about you but I felt awful afterwards. I thought it was a joke at first, sure it's alright to mess around with someone for a little bit of fun every once in a while; I even thought it was a funny, throwing in some lines here and there. But when everyone left, including you…I stayed there." Kendall clenched the ball, staring at his friend in astonishment,

"What, you did? Why!"

"Because Kendall…when the hallway was empty, he was still there curled up in that ball."

"So what?"

"So what?" James echoed angrily before launching into a tirade, "Oh my gosh, I can't believe you right now!" James exclaimed, throwing his hands into the muggy air of the gym,

"I saw him…he was shaking Kendall, shaking! I-I didn't know what to do…," He gripped his shaggy locks in frustration, blowing out a huge breath of air that had been trapped within his lungs without him realizing that he had been holding his breath,

"I stood there, just watching him cower, wondering if I was going to hurt him again." A visible shudder broke across the youth's lightly tanned skin. He gazed down at the polished wax floor of the court, enrapt in the scene before him as if reliving the memory that was still fresh and vivid in his mind,

"It…it was awkward for a while but I finally decided to pick up his glasses. They were a little bent but still good. I wiped them off with my shirt and then handed them back to him. And do you know what happened? When I offered a hand to help him up, he actually flinched-flinched because he was scared! Scared of me, thinking that I'd land another punch to his face!" James's left hand crept up to cover his face grimacing with regret,

"And it was all because of me! God, it made me sick to think that I did that to Logan…Logan Mitchel, the kid whom I've known since third grade! He'd always help me with my homework after school on Friday's. My mom hired him as my tutor in science-I never was very good at that subject." The hand covering his face dropped slowly as a small glimpse of a smile tugged on the corner of James's mouth while he recalled his childhood memories with Logan Mitchel,

"You know, we used to have sleepovers and even played on the same soccer team; now that I think of it-he was a pretty good goalie! A-and although we don't speak much now, he still takes the time to smile at me and ask me how my day was while we are unlocking our bikes from the bike rack before we head home. Half my friends don't even think to do that and yet this guy does, despite all the years I've messed around with him and made him the butt of my jokes!" A hand drew slowly through the tousled dark strands of James hair as his voice became quiet,

"We-we were…childhood friends and then I guess something happened or something changed." He shook his head, biting his lower lip in disbelief,

"I guess that it was me; I changed. I became a person that I never thought I'd be..."

"Oh don't get all dramatic on me now Diamond." Kendall chuckled, re-positioning himself for another chance to make a basket, blowing off the entire personal confession of his best friend.

"I'm serious Kendall!" Kendall tucked the ball under his armpit and waited for James to continue his rant,

"Were you even listening? I have no clue why we were acting like that and honestly, I'm going to apologize to Logan the next time I see him. I think you should too. In the very least, he deserves an apology."

"Yeah right, why should I?"

"Because like I said earlier Kendall; it's your fault!"

"How in the world is this my fault?"

"You really want to know?"

"Yeah," Kendall smiled wirily, all humor gone, "Try me."

"Okay, fine. You want to know why this is your fault? I'll tell you!" James held up a finger for each statement, dramatically emphasizing his three points, "First off, you attacked Logan for no reason. Second, you're failing all your classes and haven't spoken to me properly in weeks! Finally, you're stupid enough to throw your love of basketball and your life dream away all because you're too scared to even try!" He inhaled sharply through his nose before launching back into his tirade,

"I just can't stand it! You are angry and bitter-all the time! And you take it out on everyone who is around you when this entire time you're the one to blame! You aren't learning from your mistakes and it's causing your own misery. That's why none of your friends want to be around you anymore! That's why you have such an awful relationship with your family! And that's why Jo left you!"

As the words left James's lips, a roar erupted from Kendall's throat. Hazel eyes flashed, not a glimpse of remorse shining in those dark irises. Venom seemed to lace his thoughts, the tall brunette gaining satisfaction for tearing at Kendall's poise, intending for the impact of his statement to slam into the blonde raging across the court towards him like a ton of bricks.

While he stomped forward, Kendall gripped the basketball, his nails digging into the leather like talons. He curled the ball into the crevice of his bicep then catapulted it forward, propelling the orange sphere with extravagant force. The blonde, eyes wild and face screwed up in blind fury, chucked the basketball with every intention of striking James square in the chest.

James stumbled backwards, the strength of the ball knocking the breath slightly out of his ribcage. Although this was the case, he remained upright, unmoving as his friend approached. The blonde stole closely, close enough for their noses to almost touch as Kendall screamed into James's arrogantly-held face,

"You have no idea what you're talking about! You think you know everything and that you know me so well but you don't! You have no clue what I'm going through! How can you even judge me? You're supposed to be my best friend, the person who is there for me no matter what-but no! You're just like everyone else…just waiting to stab me in the back!"

"Wait, but Kendall!" Brusquely, Kendall cut James's protest off by shooting his gaze downwards, glaring at the floor while he felt his fists clench tightly at his sides.

"No, you wait and hear me out! You're…you're so stupid! You think that everybody loves you and that you're so cool with your fancy hair and lucky comb-I've gotta news flash for ya Diamond!" A malicious grin consumed the lower portion of the blonde's face which rose to match James's level, the tips of their noses nearly brushing. Spitefully, he taunted, "People hate you, you look ridiculous and are a self-absorbed jerk!"

Silence struck the gymnasium with a wall of sound separating the mere inches between the two boys; the heat of breath exchanged as eyes flashed, battling together while the muscles of both their forearms spasmed.

"Then," A low murmur resounded within the silence as bitter words fell, "Maybe it was a good thing that Jo left you. She deserves someone better than this."

Suddenly, Kendall's fist rose up and was immediately released; set to fly towards James's perfectly shaped and exfoliated face which scrunched up with the expectation of the fist's impact to hit at any moment.

However, the blow never came. All movement came to a careening halt as Kendall abruptly restrained his volatile fist a few meager inches away from James's sculpted nose. A rush of air exhaled from the pale youth's now trembling lips as he instantly realized what his actions were about to ensue.

Pausing, James recovered from the shock of the situation before imploding,

"Were you seriously going to hit me Kendall?" Stark green eyes mirrored their hazel counterpart's; the orbs stiff and wide open in utter disbelief, leaving Kendall unable to muster a reply. The brunette in turn, narrowed his eyebrows in a scornful expression, in order to conceal his hurt.

Discontent with the ill-received answer, James closed his eyes for a brief second, gathering his surmounting resentment and wits about him before dramatically waiting for his thick lashes to arise, his golden pupils staring directly into the frightened eyes of his companion.

His tenor voice flowed out smoothly; the cold tone slow and controlled,

"I never thought my best friend would do such a thing-but…if you want, go ahead." With the final word, James took a step forward. The decisive action closed the distance between Kendall's fist and his forehead, allowing his opponent's knuckles to brush against the longer bangs of his dark auburn hair.

Upon the sensation of feeling his fist pressing against the flat expanse of skin resting above his friend's eyes, Kendall's irises stretched wide in shock\\. He was first dumbfounded by James's sacrificial movement if not more overly stunned and utterly appalled with himself for not being able to control his anger which had brought them to such a precarious spot.

His jaw hung open as he gaped, studying James's resolved and calm face; his deep hazel brown eyes staring directly into those of Kendall's, daring him to make a move.

Swiftly, he jerked his eyes away from James's piercing stare to rest on the edge of his knuckles touching his friend's forehead. Bright green irises followed the rise and dip of the mountains and valleys lodged between each finger, studying every single detail and crevice of his knuckles as well as the ridges and cracks lying within the skin of his hand. Furthermore, his eyes continued to trace curled fingers to the beginning of his wrist, gliding over the metatarsals of the structure of his palm connecting to the slight formation of the ulna joining the rest of his forearm until those raw orbs finally ran up and over the deltoid of his shoulder in order to merge into a firm collarbone.

He shuddered, immediately dropping his arm and backing up, stunned. With this unexpected retreat, James blinked, confused as to why Kendall was currently stumbling over his feet and tripping during his scrambled flight out of the gym.

"Kendall?" He cautiously called, reaching out while Kendall continued to back pedal out of the gym shaking his head side to side in disgust. His throat felt tight and blocked; the organ constricting his airway as tears began to well up at the creases of his eyes, threatening to spill over.

Somehow Kendall managed to inhale shakily, his mouth opening and closing like a fish gasping for breath, desiring to say something, something to explain himself yet his words fell dry and left him with nothing but misery.

"Kendall?" His name lingered in the short span of breath emitted from James's lips, the question as gentle as a whisper. At the sound of his name, the blonde flipped his head up, hair heavy with sweat sweeping across his vision.

Eyes, eyes quivering with inexpressible emotion, directly struck into the wide eyed expression of the man standing beneath the basket who appeared to glow with the translucent shafts of light streaming against the polished hardware flooring of the basketball court.

Green eyes studied the figure before him, roving frantically across the face of his best friend to catch a glimpse of how the tall brunette would receive him if he responded to James's invitation to answer his call and return to his place at the center of the court.

Ears pounding, heart throbbing and threatening to beat right out of his chest, Kendall slowly shook his head from side to side before his torso collapsed inward as he began to turn away. A sob escaped from the troubled boy's lips as he fled in shame and remorse, leaving James concerned and unsure about which course of action he should take while watching his friend who was once so strong and confident disappear.


	9. Respite

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One amazing BTR related event that happened was that I was able to go to BTR's concert in Tulsa, OK. It was so much fun and the boys did amazing…my guy friends lifted me onto their shoulders so I was able to be above the crowd and see them which is an accomplishment since I'm rather short-the best part was that all four boys at some point acknowledged me in different ways like a wave, smile or a hand sign(wow, Kendall is stealing my heart…the look he gave me was priceless).
> 
> I claim no copyright to BTR or any of the characters mentioned in this work.
> 
> Thank you for reading

The door creaked open as if buffeted by a gust of wind, followed by a figure clad in gray, the somber color adding years to his lean frame which was hunched up and weighted down with baggage. Swiveling on his heel, the blonde man faced the doorway and slammed the frame shut.

Instantly cringing due to the loud bang echoing throughout the quiet foyer, Kendall sent his gaze down the hallway filled with embellished furniture which portrayed an elegant yet empty and desolate air. As suddenly as the silence returned, it was broken from a startled shriek issued from the living room,

"Goodness, don't slam the door!"

"Sorry Mom." He huffed gruffly, taking the liberty to sprint up the staircase, taking two steps at a time while his backpack and sports bag jiggled haphazardly to and fro during the ascent.

"Oh Kendall!" His mother called up to him as an afterthought, stopping the escape to his room completely as she drifted into the hallway with a bottle of Windex and a washcloth in hand,

"You're home late, is something the matter?" Apparently caught red-handed, he adverted his eyes to a portrait of a golf course overlooking the coast of one of Florida's many beaches. The detached teen began to intently study the artist's delicate strokes of acrylic paint smeared onto the canvas, revealing his expert use of value and moderation, while Kendall hastily stalled to form an answer satisfy his mother's curiosity.

"N-nothing."

"But honey, you've been crying." At that, Kendall froze, taken aback that his emotions were so obvious even to his unobservant mother. Ripping his eyes away from the portrait to explain his reaction, he gripped the oak railing with both hands, leaning over the wooden beam to face the russet-haired woman staring up at him,

"I'm not crying Mom. I just…stayed after practice to work on my shooting and uh-I was just running around and working hard…y-yeah." Quickly sputtering, he concluded his false statement with a meager lie, "It's just sweat-that's all!"

Dubious, Mrs. Knight gave him a stern look noticing how puffy and red the rims of his eyes were. About to question him further, she changed her intentions-purposefully wiping the banister of the hall tree with a rag, allowing his alibi to slide. Instead of an interrogation, she sighed,

"Alright we'll talk about this later. For now, go clean up and I'll see you down here for dinner."

"Okay," He swiftly fled while his mother turned around to head into the kitchen. However, his retreat suddenly came to a halt when he decided to once more grip the side of the railing to call down to her,

"Hey mom!"

"Yes dear?"

"What're we having tonight?"

"Lasagna, your favorite." She beamed up at him, relieved to see him smile in appreciation before her son slowly turned around and finished his trip upstairs.

Later that evening, Kendall emerged from his room sporting a fresh navy blue shirt and a matching beanie which fit snugly to his scalp, concealing a portion of his dark blonde hair. He wiggled his toes comfortably into a pair of socks that covered his feet as they trod down carpeted steps, one hand gliding across the freshly cleaned banister that led him to the base of the stairs. Upon arriving on the first floor of his home, he proceeded into the kitchen where both his mother and younger sister were busily making last minute preparations for dinner.

Without waiting for orders, Kendall retrieved a glass pitcher from the cupboard and began to fill it in the sink while his mother and Katie set the table with silverware and garnet napkins.

"So Mom, guess what Robert did!" Mrs. Knight bit her bottom lip in thought before giving up, setting a basket of bread on a place mat in the center of the table,

"I have no clue, what'd he do Katie?"

"He shoved his peanut butter sandwich into Ariel's face at lunch today!"

"Oh that's not very nice." Came the aloof comment as the folds of Mrs. Knight's mauve blouse swished as she returned to the kitchen to procure a lonely bowl of salad.

"Not at all." Katie somberly agreed to her retreating mother's back, setting a fork down by her father's porcelain plate before refocusing her conversation onto the only person left in the room. Sparkling brown eyes lit up at the sight of Kendall as the young girl chuckled,

"I mean, well, it was super funny but then we all remembered that she's allergic to peanut butter…so her whole face began to blow up and Robert got sent to the principal's office!"

"Ha hah, serves him right!" Kendall joined in her laughter, bringing the pitcher, full to the brim with ice cold water, to the table.

"I know, it was awesome!" Katie grinned up at her older brother, who gently brought his hand down to ruffle her light brown pigtails,

"I'm just glad you're not the one pulling pranks on people anymore!"

"Aw come on big bro, my jokes are the best!"

"True, but it's not so great when I have to wait after school to pick you up from detention, now is it?" The corner of his left eye crinkled up into a wink, allowing Katie to realize that he was still joking.

"Okay, okay, fine-you're right." All of a sudden, her dark eyes flashed to the kitchen where a high pitched beep resounded, "Well, wanna help me get the lasagna out of the oven?"

"Sure." They both picked up checkered hot pads off the counter and slipped them over their hands before lifting the large aluminum tray out of the oven, the ocean of cheese bubbling within the piping hot, dull metal.

"Watch out," Kendall cautioned, "Set it down slowly." Katie wordlessly followed his instructions, the pair able to successfully lower the main course onto the table without any difficulties. Pulling off the red and white oven mitts, Katie friendly questioned Kendall, who had currently preoccupied himself with straightening out the dining room chairs,

"So Kendall, how was practice today?"

"It was okay." He nonchalantly stated, sliding the wooden legs of his mother's chair closer to the edge of the table.

"Anything interesting happen?" At the mention of practice, his motion stilled. His thoughts instantly raced to the unfortunate discussion he had previously had with his best friend a few hours ago and how poorly it turned out. The blonde exhaled a deep sigh,

"No." His answer became sullen and short, inclining that he had no desire to reveal any more information. Katie noticed his sudden lack of interest in the conversation, turning a questioning face to her mother who had just entered into the kitchen to catch the rest of her children's chat. Instead of pressuring Kendall to answer, Mrs. Knight simply shook her head, indicating for her daughter to not say anything about it.

Despite her mother's warning, Katie struck up the worst question she could have possibly asked in that moment,

"Well what about James or Carlos, how are they?" Kendall's knuckles flashed white as his grip on his sister's chair that he currently held within his hands hardened rapidly. A pang of guilt and anger swam over him as his sister, unaware of the situation he was in, continued to discuss his fellow teammates,

"They're both so good at basketball, I'm sure they had a nice practice."

"One of them did." Kendall spit out between clenched teeth, the image of Carlos's shining face and victorious leap jumping into his mind.

Katie quirked her head at his comment, slightly confused but not indicating any sign of relenting from speaking,

"Um-well I guess that's great that at least one of them had a good day." She helped scoot in Kendall's chair which lay across the table, adjacent to her own while she finished her statement,

"I haven't seen them in a while...you should invite them over sometime!" Her voice dropped suddenly and became soft as a light shimmer of pink tinted the smooth expanse of her cheekbones, "It'd be nice to see James."

A twinge of guilt rose up in Kendall's chest at the mention of the brunette's name, clouding out the revelation of his sister's slight infatuation with his best friend.

"Y-yeah, that'd be nice. I'll try to see if they want to-" Before Kendall was able to complete his sentence, the front door opened and the chime of dangling keys clinking against one another's metal surface greeted their ears.

Out from the kitchen burst Mrs. Knight, a bowl of steamed carrots and peas clutched between her arms. Quickly, she set the contents on a pad to the left of the bread basket before rushing over to the door. Hastily, she brushed off her flowing skirt and lightly ran her fingers through her auburn curls. Then she stopped, staring straight ahead at the figure residing in the doorway. Softly her voice emerged from lightly coated lips,

"Hello Keith." Her crystal blue eyes rose to meet dark green orbs which seemed to gaze longingly back at her. All of a sudden, a pair of lips met her own then swiftly departed as a suave deep voice rolled out,

"Evening, Katherine." Her eyes widened in shock of what just happened at the archway of their home.

"Oh my," She blushed, a shade of scarlet heating her face with a warm glow as the mother supported herself by placing a delicate hand on his chest, embarrassed for being kissed passionately on the lips in front of their children.

Katie paused between distributing the remainder of forks to giggle while Kendall let his grip on the back of his sister's chair slide through his fingers, hiding his smile by shaking his head silently.

"Come here, Kate babe!" Katie needed no other invitation to throw down the silverware clutched in her hands and raced towards her father who quickly set his briefcase to the side and crouched down, his burly arms wide open to catch his daughter and swing her about.

After a few twirls and delighted squeals from the young girl, Mr. Knight set his daughter down, still fully caught in his embrace. He nodded towards his son,

"Kendall." The teenager returned the nod, the only form of recognition needed to transpire between the two men. Keith released his hold on Katie, allowing her hands to fall from his arms and go back to setting the dinner table.

The suit-clad man placed his palms on his hips, bending backwards slightly in a stretch before announcing to his whole family that he was going to unpack his briefcase and clean up before joining them for dinner. With that, the trio set about fixing up the dining room, filling all the cups, straightening out the table cloth and bringing seasoning, sauce and various other commodities necessary to provide for an exquisite Italian meal.

"Wow Katherine, this is delicious!" Mr. Knight exclaimed, squaring off another chunk of mozzarella cheese, spinach and noodle to the side of his plate in order to take a bite of the supper his lovely wife had prepared.

"Yeah thanks Mom, it's really good." Kendall nodded, scooping a spoonful of mixed vegetables into his mouth. Mrs. Knight in turn simply smiled, her eyes sparkling above the glass of water she was currently sipping upon before she set the cup down,

"I'm glad you all like it."

"It's great!" Katie chirped, not wanting to be left out of complimenting her mother. Biting into a steaming bread roll, Katie excitedly began to yammer on about her plans for the weekend,

"Oh hey, me and Jodie were thinking about getting together on Saturday. We both really really want to go to the mall to try to find some new shoes and friendship necklaces!" Mr. Knight shot his wife a glance before fumbling in his pocket as Katie continued exclaiming,

"But the best part is that afterwards, she even invited me to sleepover! Can I go, please Mom?" Glancing warmly down at the deep brown eyes pleading up towards her, Mrs. Knight patted the top of her daughter's hand,

"I suppose so Katie but first, I'll have to talk with Jodie's parents. I'll call her mother later tonight once dishes are done."

"And here you go Kate babe," A slim sheet of green paper appeared in between the thumb and index finger of Mr. Knight who waved a straight and unwrinkled twenty dollar bill across the table in front of his daughter's face, a small smile creasing the usually grim mouth,

"Buy yourself something nice."

Chocolate eyes widening, Katie practically jumped from her cushioned chair with joy, snatching the twenty bucks before shooting a fist into the air only to bring it immediately down again as if she had just scored a game winning point,

"Yes!"

"Now eat your vegetables." Mr. Knight gruffly chided, causing his daughter to sheepishly raise her shoulders and hide within herself, stuffing the bill into her jeans. Kendall let out a brief chuckle at his abashed sister, stifling the laughter with a hand upon receiving an incredulous look from his father.

Cupping the corner of his face in his palm, he glanced over to his baby sister and mouthed that he would eat her peas for her, knowing how she hated the little green mushy things. She whispered back a quick thank you before forking a square of lasagna and popping it into her mouth.

Eventually, as the evening progressed, the dinner conversation paved it's way to the usual debate of the night: Kendall's grades, college and life goals compared to those of his father.

"So boy, we should be expecting to see your report card soon. How do you think you'll fare?" Kendall paused from chewing, noticing how his mother quietly scolded her husband, whispering his name sharply under her breath to warn him to not bring the topic up and disrupt the evening which was going splendidly up to this point.

Instead of retorting violently like he usually did, the boy swallowed the remainder of his salad and calmly said,

"It's fine Mom."

"But Kendall-" He brushed her anxiety off by the wave of a hand, reassuring her,

"I said it's fine. Actually, I have decided to consider a position in business."

The flooring news caused both parents to gape in shock at their son who sat stiffly in his chair, simply shoveling a spoonful of finely chopped steamed carrots into his mouth.

"What's changed your mind son?" Mr. Knight finally ventured to ask the question everyone at the dining table was dying to hear an answer to. Perfect white teeth diced through the soft, round orange circles until Kendall was ready to speak. His eyes rose to meet the similar pair of his father's, studying the man leaning forward in his seat eagerly,

"Well…I guess you've been right all along." A single gray-streaked eyebrow rose in confusion, a signal that his father was about to interject, causing Kendall to rush and explain his reasoning,

"I mean, I've realized that basketball will get me nowhere. At least business has a good, steady income and I won't be struggling at the bottom of the food chain. I bet if I try really hard and get some help filling out applications, maybe some other colleges will accept me, right?"

At the end of the spiel, Mr. Knight slapped his knee and let out a hearty laugh,

"That's my boy! I always knew you'd come around eventually, didn't I tell you Dear?"

"Yes, you did Honey," Mrs. Knight nodded, smiling with her eyes but containing her joy. She turned to her eldest and only son, clasping her palm over his right hand in order to verify his choice,

"But Kendall, is this really what you want?"

"Of course it is dear!" Mr. Knight exclaimed without waiting to hear Kendall's answer, not noticing how his son had resorted to stirring the remaining food on his plate in silence.

"This is wonderful Kendall! I knew you could do great things-this career path is clearly the best choice anyways and son, now I know you'll be setting out towards a promising future!"

"Yeah Dad," Kendall glanced up, a smile plastered to his face but all the light vacant from his eyes,

"It'll be great…nothing would make me happier."

* * *

 

Don't you think that's great that I never seem to pass up the chance to add a little bit of Jatie lovin'

Reviewers get more updates ;)


	10. Unspoken Words and Window Panes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thank you for reading and for staying with the story. It will be wrapped up soon although I'm a little stuck on the next chapter & that is why I decided to post this shorter chapter-until then, leave a review!
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, copyright belongs to Nickelodeon.

Sinking into the padded comforter spread out across his bed like an ocean, Kendall slipped the navy covers up to his collarbone, letting his arms flop over the blankets. Clasping his hands together to rest his palms on his chest, the boy resorted to studying the patterned ceiling above, reflecting on his next course of action.

A brown sack lunch huddled between bagged celery and a carton of milk within the crowded refrigerator; the gallon's handle slightly puncturing the tender bread of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich which was currently being squished against the rind of a russet apple inside of its paper coffin.

His lunch was prepared, his teeth brushed, face washed…everything on his nightly checklist complete. Currently Kendall was trying to drift off but sleep eluded him. Humorlessly, he sighed deeply, having a pretty good idea as to why his routine was disturbed.

Replaying the past few weeks in his mind's eye, Kendall began to recollect it all, realizing what initially ignited his suffering-a scrawny boy with black rimmed glasses and brown hair by the name of Logan Mitchell. A pang of guilt hit him directly in the core of his stomach, almost causing him to twinge.

"Logan," He uttered the name, rolling the word off his tongue and let it hang heavy and thick in the air. Pressure, mounting pressure and anxiety had been eating away from the blonde youth for days and he could no longer bear enduring the situation he had placed himself in.

Dodging his friends and his supposedly ex-girlfriend in the hallways and corridors of school was extraneous and had been wearing him out more than he thought the strategy of avoidance would have. He hated the way people looked at him now, wary of his every move, as if he were a wild animal who would turn on them at any given moment.

A half smile worked its way up onto the left corner of his mouth, forming into a smirk for Kendall silently admitted that they were probably right. He would most likely pummel anyone who got in his way at this point. His wretchedness would not stand for any confrontation, whether spiteful or harmless in its intent.

However, his smirk suddenly fell from his mouth, leaving his face blankly staring up at the ceiling once more. Inhaling, breathing in the cool night breeze trailing in from an open window, Kendall shut his heavy eyelids.

He enjoyed leaving the frame down at night regardless of how many times his father yelled at him for sliding the window down without remembering to close the shutters.

"Father"

He rotated slightly onto his side with a sigh, thinking about how the night had progressed. In reality, he could come close to saying that he had loved the evening mainly due to the fact that for once they were all happy and no one was upset.

Why couldn't his family be like that on a normal basis? Something was seriously wrong with his father if he could only be pleased if everyone only did exactly what he wanted all the time. That thought struck a chord in him, reminding Kendall of the afternoon spent in the gym with James and how their conversation transpired.

"Hadn't James said the same thing? No he couldn't have…could he?" It never had occurred to Kendall before that his friends might not completely agree with him; they had never shown any opposition to his choices before. They had always gone along with whatever he desired without questioning his actions.

But this time James had stood up against him. Undoubtedly, it was a little late on James part to become defiant but apparently, he had finally summoned the courage to tell Kendall what no one else could: that the situation was entirely his fault.

Kendall gripped his head, the pads of his fingers pressing into his forehead in aggravation. "Why did he always react like that? It couldn't all be because his father made him so angry, he had no reason to be mad like he was. So then if it was not purely because of his father, why was he mad?" Kendall let a hand drop, leaving the other one to settle onto his forehead while he wracked his brain for the answer.

Nothing.

"Gosh, why was it so hard to figure out?" It felt as if he was being ripped in two, not knowing what was wrong with himself-one side supporting and justifying his actions as something deserved while the other screamed at him to realize his mistake and fix it.

"Fix it," He mused, "That's what I've got to do." His eyelids opened, weakly gazing upwards, wondering exactly how he was going to accomplish this goal. How could he repair anything when no one even talked to him anymore! The situation with James was simply awkward although the brazen and golden boy still seemed open to resolving their conflict.

Kendall shook his head, not ready to face his best friend yet…his pride would not let him, not now anyways. He already knew that he would have to humble himself by speaking with the brunette and that in itself was a challenge. Humility was not a strong suit for Kendall Knight, nor was it an activity in which he wished to participate in for if he were to ask for forgiveness from James, that would initiate the spiral of necessary apologies he owed to other people.

A sweep of shimmering gold buffeted by the pull of a springtime wind interrupted his reveries only to disappear in a flash, leaving him in the expanse of his somber bedroom. Immediately, Kendall knew whose sun-streaked hair had danced into his vision.

The pit of his heart swelled, the organ seeming to ache and long simply due to the thought of her whose name was attached to the image of the golden sheet of hair. Thinking of the wonderful creature whom he had lost yet again released the flood gate of his emotion. The boy surrounded by blankets, unable to hold back his bitterness and regret, rotated swiftly and slammed his face into the fabric of his pillowcase.

Muffled cries emitted soon, announcing the bursting of built up frustration and shame, as Kendall kept his eyes screwed up and his fingers twisted harshly into the navy sea swallowing him in its gentle embrace.

Once his unrestricted feelings subsided, he lay there, worn out and desperate. Sullen and alone, Kendall slowly removed his tear-stained face from his pillow, using a forearm to push his torso up in order to flip onto his back.

"I can't do this anymore." He breathed hoarsely, trailing a finger beneath the sore and puffy rims of his eyes to wipe away the evidence of his tears. However, the well ran deep and once the spring had begun to flow, it would take a while for the stream to trickle away. Thus, with droplets of salty water pooling in his eyes, Kendall conversed vehemently with himself and the surface of his room,

"All I want…all I want is-to hold her, t-to kiss her and apologize!" He hiccuped, "And tell her everything will be alright. I want Jo. I want James. I wanna take everything back." He swallowed the lodge in his throat painfully, tilting his chin into his pillow once again. Yet instead of complete sorrow, a fierce light had replaced the doubt residing within his hollow green eyes.

Determined to repair the damage he had inflicted, Kendall was finally able to close his eyelids and rest, slipping the covers up and over his head in order to hide from the world for a brief respite.


	11. The Truth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shorter than I had planned, but still…I hope you like it. This story is way longer than I would've ever imagined. I really appreciate your continued support and interest!

Clicking through the midday rush of students clambering to escape from the educational prison, Jo made her way down the hall, fastening the strap of her leather side bag more securely. Flipping through the binders and folders resting at the top of the satchel, Jo groaned. Why did she always have to leave something behind? Sighing, she pivoted and marched off back to the American Government classroom she had just exited from.

Wham! The blonde found that she had slammed into something soft yet firm, a figure clad in a gray hoodie. The force of the unexpected collision accidentally knocked her to the ground, spilling the contents in her hands. She quickly knelt to retrieve them, the figure she had run into instantly tumbling to the floor as well. Her hazel gaze watched as fingers protruded from the folds of a dark jacket, picking up disarrayed papers and pencils, gathering them into the crevice of his forearms. Jo ventured to blink up into the face of her helper and caught her breath in surprise-it was Logan!

Mr. Mitchell however never looked up, his sole focus centering on the task at hand. He appeared shy and awkward to the blonde who realized that he was hiding something, attempting to disappear within the gray jacket's hood. Hair prickled on the back of his neck, instinctively noticing that eyes were studying him from only inches away.

He risked the chance to look up, his dark eyes flicking to flash up to meet the girl's intense stare only to fall quickly back down to the jumbled objects.

An apology squeaked quickly from his lips, much to both of their surprise for silence had fallen and lingered too long to make normal conversation flow freely. A slow smile spread across Jo's face at his sincerity,

"No, I'm sorry-it was my fault too." She inclined her head upwards, trying to catch a glimpse of his hidden face, hoping that her statement would have a comforting effect on this paranoid individual.

His head began to rise, the fabric sliding down slightly at the edges, as he lifted his chin to reply. Yet his words as well as his gaze were prevented from reaching her due to the appearance of two boys who happened to approach out of the classroom they all had exited from.

"Nice one dude!" A tall, skinny, fair skinned red-head with a nice splattering of freckles running across his nose called out, pointing directly at the pair scrambling for their belongings.

"You sure do have a way with women, you klutz!" The remaining boy jeered, his stocky build reminiscent of that of a linebacker as he drew upon the scene. The scrawny one snuck up beside his friend, placing a hand near his lips as if to whisper something, although it was obvious that he was intently speaking within range of the duo's hearing,

"I think it's funny how the nerd even thinks he has a chance of getting with Jo!" Jo in turn attempted to object yet she was cut off by the following prattle of the two pranksters.

"Yeah," The larger one chimed in, "Smooth move there, dweeb!" The pair scoffed, sniggering to themselves for their cleverness while Logan turned to face Jo; offering her a hand to help her up, his other palm in a peaceful gesture while he explained that this all was just a misunderstanding.

All of a sudden, Logan felt his head being forced back, comprehending that the fabric of his hoodie was currently being ripped from the crown of his head. The culprit hoodie-snatcher, the pale carrot-top, was successful in his mission: to reveal the boy's still freshly bruising face splotched with gouge marks ranging blue to dark purple.

Logan tugged harshly at the collar of his sweater, desiring to hide his face quickly and to get out of the clutches of the immature sophomore. However his attempt to recover his bearing was disengaged for he sensed that gravity was no longer on his side. The lean brunette felt himself teetering into Jo by the force of the large brute's sudden push.

Accidentally plowing the delicate blonde to the ground with the weight of his unbalanced body, he lay there, toppled and unaware. The boy who struck him laughed heartily at the result of his shove, which had left his victim unknowingly straddling his female companion.

"Woah, I can't believe you pinned Kendall's girl to the floor!" Logan gaped, his left hand planted besides her earlobe, the single limb supporting his entire frame from crushing her. Space stood still for a moment while his mouth hung wide open as he stared unblinkingly into Jo's dark hazel eyes which were equally filled with a blur of confusion and a tinge of embarrassment.

"What I can't believe will be Kendall's face when I tell him! He's so going to flip out!" The ginger hooted, about to run off to do just that. Yet the lanky youth was stopped by his friend who set a hand on his chest only to push past him and closer to the crumpled forms jumbled together in a mass of jeans, distraught books and hair.

"Hahahah! Yeah you're right Tom, but I bet the little fag here would rather have her ex-boyfriend laying on top of him, wouldn't ya Mitchell?" Both Jo and Logan's eyes flashed in alarm and shock, pain resonating in Jo's heart at the mention of the stern fellow while fear raced through his.

"Nah bro, I think he'd want Kendall punching his pretty little face in again." Thomas, waving his left hand nonchalantly in the air as if he were flicking off a fly from a fruitcake, came to lean his opposing elbow onto his buddy's broad shoulders while he continued,

"I can just see it now Dave, the rematch of the year! I bet he wishes that our basketball star would plant another fist to his face to match the other bruise. It'd make him look like the certified clown he is, right?"

"Totally dude! Oh I bet Logan would rather have Kendall shove his tight ass up against the lockers again and smack the daylights out of him just like before! We all know he likes it rough." He winked to Thomas and guffawed at his own crude humor, much to the dismay of the boy stuck between a literal rock and a hard place, his cheeks ruddy and red.

"Knock it off, guys! Haven't you already caused enough trouble for one day?"

"Oh if it isn't 'little miss angel' to this loser's defense, again?" Thomas sing-songed, leaning backwards with his hands resting on his hips, condescendingly mocking the girl spread out beneath Logan on the dirty and eroding tile.

"Ya know Jo, I think you could do a lot better than that self-absorbed prick and this wimp. But now that you mention it, this sort've position suits you." Dave scratched his chin in thought, "Maybe I should have a go at ya if you'll let just anyone have you." Her face turned a violet shade of scarlet at his implied innuendo to her current situation, causing her to subconsciously bury her face into the crook of Logan's arm.

"Hey, keep her out of this!" Jo found her hiding place no longer shielding her from their impish gaze for Logan had sprung to his feet, issuing a commanding tone as he stared Dave levelly in the eye, "Don't you dare talk that way about her! Your problem's with me."

Dave blinked, taken aback for a moment by his brashness before busting out in new laughter, slapping Logan on the shoulder,

"Psshh! Nice try at being macho there…calm down little man, I'm just joking."

"It isn't funny." His eyes flashed, as if daring the brute to continue slamming his sausage-linked fingers into his shoulder blades. Dave noticed a change sweep over the guy he had previously been walloping. He did not know what it was yet something told him if he should continue, he would most likely be fighting a losing battle.

"Whatever, we have better things to do than mess with geeks like you two. C'mon Tom!" Thomas raised an eyebrow as his leader's retreat but shrugged, ruffling Logan's gelled hair while he skipped past; taking the chance to call out a final stinging remark,

"Catch ya later, 'Logie Bear'!"

The pair sprinted off, banging their fists on the helpless lockers and causing a ruckus before finally disappearing through the doorway at the end of the long corridor. Jo pushed herself up until her torso was erect, her feet still sprawled on the ground. Aggravated and embarrassed, she huffily gathered the books surrounding her collapsed form.

Logan crouched down to assist her, shuffling awkwardly at a distance while she went on a rampage, words flying out similarly to her hair which happened to be bouncing along with the movement of her head, shaking disapprovingly at the whole ordeal. Suddenly, her attention whirled to him, bitterly demanding,

"How can you put up with jerks like that?"

"Because," Logan hesitantly glanced towards her then back at the floor, stuffing an unfastened assignment into his notebook, "It isn't true."

"Excuse me?" Slender fingers stilled as the blonde looked up in confusion at the boy's statement.

"What they said…about me and...Kendall," His words fell slowly, his deep brown eyes meeting her's as if in a desperate plea for belief, "It isn't true."

Jo stammered,

"O-of course it isn't true!" He nodded calmly, inwardly relieved that she knew the truth,

"And I know that the rumors aren't true…so to answer your question, I guess that's why I don't let people like them bother me anymore." He pulled her to her feet, apologizing for the trouble he had been recently causing her. As a side note, he babbled,

"Oh and…I'm sorry, I didn't see you-ahem-earlier, I mean." Jo bit her lip, casting her gaze downwards and to the right in shame, shyly peeking up at him from the corner of her eyes,

"That's alright…I-I'm the one who's really sorry Logan. I can't believe I made you go through something like that!"

"Jo, honestly its-" Suddenly, Logan found himself speechless as he felt a cool sensation against his rapidly heating face. Looking over the bridge of his nose and slightly to the left, he breathlessly withheld Jo's hand pressed against the side of his cheek, causing him to wince in both shock and slight pain.

"Does…it hurt?" She murmured quietly, dark eyes intently studying his grimacing features. Overcoming his initial surprise, his usually reserved face developed into a crooked smile, the edges turning up slightly with the effort. Logan let a free hand rise to cup the one caressing his injured cheek for a moment before gently removing her hand. Gradually, he released her palm, giving it a friendly squeeze before letting go,

"Don't worry, I'll be fine."

Adjusting his back pack and swiftly tugging his jacket hoodie over his face, the thin teenager began to walk away. Feeling eyes still boring into his back, he paused a few meters away only to glance down the hallway, realizing that Jo was still staring worriedly after his retreating figure. Chuckling to himself while catching her gaze, he tilted his head down in a nod to conceal his emotion, inwardly bubbling,

"Thank you."

"But…what did I do?" Came the girl's loaded question, her brain reeling for information as to what exactly she did to deserve his gratitude in this situation. She clutched her bag of books, all now packed snugly in her leather side purse, waiting impatiently for his elusive answer.

"For caring."


	12. A Surprising Confrontation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Er…I'm a little embarrassed about this one. You'll see why. It's my first time even writing something like this so don't be too harsh on me if writing a romantic scene is awkward!

Mind swirling, Jo pushed open the solid blue doors at the end of the hall, successfully exiting the school. She stepped outside into the bright sunlit afternoon, letting herself sink against the frame of the door, her bag weighing heavily upon her small shoulders.

"Exhausting, that is what today has been. No, not today-this entire month! So much had happened, so much had gone wrong...," She shook her head fervently, snapping herself out of the amounting thoughts of depression by shoving herself from the door and into a fast pace towards her vehicle parked in the nearby lot.

As fate would have it, there was Kendall leaning up against the red brick wall of the science building, hands dug deep into his jean pockets. No, he had not seen Jo or even knew she would be there. He was actually facing the opposite direction, looking out onto the black pavement from his position against the building, watching heat waves glimmer as faint mirages on the horizon. Like any normal teenager, he was bored. Yet, he was utterly so, forced to wait until his little sister got out from her class to drive her home-a punishment bestowed on him by his coach and parents for his little outburst a few days ago. He had been suspended from Tuesday's upcoming game against Cinco Ranch's Timberwolves and his coach had even gone so far as to restrict him from even participating in basketball practice for a week to teach him a lesson.

"Huh, some lesson," Kendall grumbled lowly to himself, "I bet they're going to lose without me-then we'll see who learns a lesson." He angrily kicked a pebble, watching it fly off of the curb and into the street.

Suddenly, his eyes grew wide as they absorbed the site before them. Across the way, Jo was walking across the pavement, hastily pushing a strand of loose hair behind an ear, attempting to stop the wisps from flying into her face. Kendall chuckled, finding her failure to combat the wind kind of cute.

As he watched, he saw her pull out a set of keys from her purse and press the unlock button, the little alarm sounding with a beep. Sinkingly, he recalled how he used to drive her home every day but now, it appeared like she only wanted to keep her distance and stay away from him.

A thought donned on him, here was his chance to finally speak to her! Without thinking, he took off down the sidewalk, calling out across the way. His effort backfired for he received no response. He stopped, stunned. Had she really just ignored him? The idea of letting her go came to mind but he mentally slapped himself; berating his poor soul about his promise to fix the situation-and fix it he would! He bristled, determination pushing him forward to intercept the blonde who had almost reached her car.

Stalking up behind her, using the length of his long stride to his advantage to catch up with Jo's progress, he called out once more, this time gaining her attention. Ah, he had seen recognition; she had even tilted her face sideways to catch a glimpse of his quickly approaching figure.

He hastened his pace, repeating her name, calling out for her to just turn around and listen to him. Nothing was working. Despite previous experience warning him not to, he finally grabbed her wrist, twisting her around to face him.

"What is wrong with you? I've been calling you for days and even now, you won't reply!" However, his desired response was not readily given. She bit her lower lip, refusing to speak. Instead, she settled by looking out dejectedly towards the black pavement.

"C'mon Jo, can you please tell what you're thinking?" Kendall outwardly winced at the expression she gave him, glaring daggers while sharply retorting,

"You should know!"

Her harsh tone coupled with her defensive ensemble made Kendall almost admit defeat. "Oh boy," He thought, "This is going to be a rough day." He bent at the knees slightly, sighing while summoning a huge gulp of air before launching into hostile territory.

"Look Jo, I'm….I'm sorry. Really I am." Jo's eye brows arched in surprise, the petite and confident one not expecting an apology to come from this sullen boy harassing her in public. Although, a spark of happiness lit inside of her being, she maintained a cool front.

"Don't just apologize to me. The one you should be apologizing to is Logan." Kendall cleared his throat, muttering quickly and almost inaudibly,

"I'm working on that." Then before he knew it, Kendall had raised his free arm to scratch his head sheepishly, "But in the meantime baby, I was thinking about us." His emerald eyes roved upwards to scan her face to see her reaction. It was nothing like he expected it would be, much to his disappointment.

"Why in the world would you think it'd be alright to call me 'baby', huh?"

"Okay, Jo I didn't think-"

"No, you didn't think! You never do!" She stood there defiant and appalled, slapping the hand that was sneaking its way up to her cheek away, yelling,

"How dare you even try that kind've move! You've got to be joking if you think that you can get me back so easily!

"Well Jo, at least I'm trying!" Kendall announced, clenching his fist by his side, completely embarrassed.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" She snapped to which Kendall countered,

"I've been dying to speak with you for weeks and you won't answer my calls! You ignore me at school and won't let anything I do get through to you. What gives?"

"Oh no, don't guilt trip me! This is your fault-what are you thinking Kendall? Did you really think that a simple phone call could fix everything and that we'll be back exactly like we were?"

"I was hoping that maybe it could fix it and we-" Kendall blinked in disbelief, not used to having Jo so fired up and rude enough to interrupt his train of thought yet again.

"Oh grow up! It's not that simple." She tried to tug her arm free from his vice-like grasp around her wrist while she continued to slam him with harsh insults, "You are so dumb if you think the world works that way! And it was pathetic for you to blow up like that over nothing and to treat me like this!"

"That's why I'm trying to say I'm sorry!" Kendall gripped her tighter, taking a step forward which in turn forced Jo to step backwards and closer to the immense building of science and technology.

"Well it's a waste!" She berated him, stumbling minutely while screaming, "What if I think you're too late, did you ever think of that? No of course you wouldn't because you're Kendall Knight and everything always has to go your-mpph!"

In the midst of violent arguing and her rebuking him to the point that Kendall was not allowed to get a word in edgewise, his determination fueled him on to make her understand in the only way he knew how.

He leaned forward, pressing his body flush against her's, pushing Jo up against the rough surface of the red brick wall and smothered her mouth with a kiss.

She whacked her fists against his chest, continuously beating his hold on her body, desperately trying to break free. However, his grip only tightened as his passion increased, encircling her waist and up her spine with his forearms in order to run his fingers over her scalp and through her golden locks.

Soft and wet, their lips met, gyrating hard against the suckled skin, now pink and swollen. Unsuccessfully, her resolve began to succumb as her strikes became weaker and weaker until she finally relaxed into his embrace. Fluttering, her eyelashes shut to fan out over her cheekbones as the girl who had missed the connection she had with her captor melted into his fierce display of affection.

The storehouse of ferocity and anger eventually left the pair, resulting in a kiss consisting of all that was tender and pure. Kendall was the one to break first, retracting his neck in order to gaze into his beloved's eyes.

"I'm sorry Jo, I don't know how to say it any other way but I am so sorry."

At the genuine apology, Jo glanced to the side, cheeks flushed and ribcage beating fast.

"Y-you know who you should be apologizing to." He stroked her sun-streaked hair, his hand moving until it was cupping her chin, tilting her vision until it was in line with his.

"I know…and I will."

"You promise?" For the first time in a long time, peace had settled onto his face, reflecting a noble resolution and intent in his composure.

"I promise." His hand quivered slightly as did the tenor of his voice as he whispered,

"Can you ever forgive me?

"I already have." She beamed, a brilliant light catching fire and igniting the core of Kendall's spirit. The reunited couple bent inwards for a final kiss, connected like never before as the purple and sun-kissed orange sunset rising over the hills surrounding their school enveloped them within bliss. They remained interlocked as such, outside of time and space, while reality melded into the oncoming dark blanket of night.


	13. The Stirring Course

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go

Sun-baked gravel churned beneath the heavy wheels of tar as Kendall pulled his father's old Buick against the curb of his driveway. The gentle hiss of air emitting from the vents slowly evaporated while the engine breathed a heavy sigh, relieved to curl up upon its white-washed domicile.

Tapping her knuckles against her knee to the final beats of an alternative pop song, Jo hummed, content to sit within the rapidly heating vehicle while Kendall made preparations for them to exit. The air conditioner off and the radio diminished, the boy tugged the key out of the ignition's slot, jostling in his seat in order to face his companion caught within the trance of the faded music,

"Um Jo?"

"Hmm…," She snapped out of her vacant daze to cheerfully face her re-established boyfriend, "Oh, what is it Kendall?"

"Well I was just thinking about what we were talking about earlier…you know, around when we passed Mason street?"

"Come on, I can't remember all of it! We talked about a lot of stuff, y'know." A single pupil crinkled into a playful wink, "You've got to be more specific than that." Her laughter chimed within the tight cube, her peeling tone affecting the more solemn figure beside her.

"Ha hah, true." His stomach heaved, but not purely with laughter. He leaned his forearms on the steering wheel, as if to brace himself for the upcoming statement that he knew would be ill-received, "Alright well we were discussing plans for college and stuff…"

"Yeah, what about it?" Jo questioned, studying the patch of thyme and rosemary growing in Mrs. Blake's front yard, the little fronds splayed out against the tawny basin of the garden's protective fence.

"Well…" He sucked in a sharp breath, suddenly nervous, "I am thinking about going into business with my father."

The full, bottom lip of her face suddenly jutted out, pouting in a slight frown as the girl unbuckled her seat belt. Kendall held his breath subconsciously, gripping the dark gray frame of the steering wheel while awaiting her anticipated reaction.

"Why…what suddenly changed?"

A decisive and deliberate question, calmly and quietly uttered. Presumably meant to not bring offense or add insult, however, the enigma of it all made Kendall all the more nervous, unable to decipher her thoughts on the matter.

As if to prod him on, she slipped,

"What about your dream in basketball?"

"I-it isn't really that big of a deal." He floundered, stammering

"It's a pointless dream if you think about it. My dad found an article showing a statistic that says that only about three percent of people actually make it into professional sports of any form of media. And boy, I'm not even in the top three percent in our hometown!"

"But you're the star of our team-that has to count for something." She implored, grazing a comforting hand across the flat expanse of his palm gripping the vehicle's conductive wheel.

"Pssh! Yeah…maybe." He sullenly grumbled, staring at the black pavement of the street harshly, "But Jo, that is no guarantee! What if I don't make it? I'll end up working at the gas station. That's not the sort of life I want."

"But a corporate job isn't something you want either." She gently reminded him, pressing her fingers into his knuckles until she was cupping it with the hollow of her left hand.

"What am I supposed to do?" He imploded, "You told me to focus on school incase basketball turns out to be a dead end for me! What gives?"

Sheepishly, she raised her shoulders,

"I know I did," Jo admitted but her coyness transformed into a inspired solution, "And even though that may be the case, I don't think you should give up on your dream. I know I wouldn't."

The edges of his mouth tilted upwards, cracking the corners into a half smile as he retorted,

"When one door closes…" She retracted her hand to smack him on the shoulder laughing,

"I'm serious! You have talent and you're smart too, even though you don't always show it." She snickered, to which he good-naturedly rolled his eyes, unfastening the strap constricting his torso. As the belt whizzed back into its plastic cavern, Jo attempted to return their lapsing conversation back onto the important issue at hand.

"Regardless Kendall, you shouldn't limit the different paths you can take. Who knows where you might go?"

"You're starting to sound like Dr. Seuss." Kendall jokingly mocked, watching her impatiently bat her hands at him,

"Oh knock it off!" They both frolicked in their combined laughter until Jo regained her breath to continue from where she left off,  
"In all honesty, I'm happy about this though, business is a wonderful career. I-I just hope it's what you want. I want to make sure that you'll be happy." Her dark hazel orbs razed over his slumped form, shining with intensity.

Kendall unlocked his eyes from her's by sighing, decidedly reclining back in the car seat. Closing his eyes, he inhaled contently,

"You know what Jo, I'm feeling happy for the first time in a long while."

Abruptly, Kendall found himself smothered by a hug issued from the girl besides him who had lent fully over the center console to reach him. In surprise, he cried out, a stream of laughter masking the pain of her elbow puncturing his spleen while his entire frame became smashed against the window pane.

Bringing his arms down, he cradled the blond in his arms, finally feeling satisfied, a spark of purpose igniting in his veins. Aggravating and lonely nights were settling down, becoming joyful and carefree like they once were. Everything was right in the world once again-well almost everything Kendall realized.

The image of that kid pinned up against the locker's cold metal slate, his pale face twisted up in horror, a dark purple bruise emerging across his cheekbone simultaneously as he shied away from yet another incoming blow.

A twinge of guilt fluttered through his lower abdomen yet he allowed the disturbing thought to be withdrawn into the refuge of his troubled mind. Blessed with brief solitude, Kendall was content with simply holding the woman he loved, resting the tip of his chin on the crown of her head, her golden tresses wavering while he murmured his gratefulness into her ear.

After moments that felt like eternity, the pair pulled apart.

"Come on, let's go inside." They each flicked the door handle on their side of the car, exiting the vehicle in order to head up the stone walkway towards the entrance of the Knights' abode.


	14. Dine the Knight Away

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like the title? I do, I think I'm so brilliant :D
> 
> Phah, hopefully it made you laugh.
> 
> It's almost done by the way(one more chapter left!), so if you're sick of GITH, your wish will be granted and you'll never have to hear from this story again ;)

"Mom, I'm home!" Kendall called out, opening the front door. Almost instantly he heard his mother reply from outside in the garden,

"Hold on sweetie! I'm just watering the flowers and some shrubs; I'll be inside soon!"

Wasting no time, the pair shrugged out of their shoes and placed them near the doorway, relieving themselves of her purse and his backpack. Composing their bodies on the floral print couch sprinkled with petals of aquamarine and soft violet, Jo sunk into the hollow of Kendall's chest.

Stifled and timid, the girl drew her head back to rest against the crevice of his neck, her chin tilted upwards as if wandering for something from her unknown desire. And as soon as it began, her search came to a close as a pair of lips brushed against her's, causing her to inhale in slight surprise and acceleration. His calloused hand trailed down her jawline, cupping her smooth cheekbone to draw her closer to eliminate the space separating his rekindled love.

Caught unaware, Jo instinctively sat bolt upright at the sudden and gracious warning issued from the russet-haired woman as Mrs. Knight entered the room, interrupting them by clearing her throat.

Not knowing what else to do, Jo directed her gaze downwards, suddenly fascinated with studying her boots while her lily-pale fingers tidying her skirt, a light sheen of rose evident of her embarrassment for being caught in an undignified predicament. Her boyfriend however radiated a glow of comfort, neutrally embarrassing the petite blonde within his arms while meeting his mother's knowing gaze.

"I brought Jo over for dinner Mom." His eyes sparkling quickly flashed a wink towards the woman, who conveniently suppressed her laughter behind a hand,

"So I see." She matched his sense of humor, sliding in a subtle innuendo to which Jo further buried herself in the nearby pillows in shame much to the Knights amusement.

Kendall wrapped his arms about his girlfriend's torso to pry her from escape in the cotton sofa.

"Oh come on Jo, don't worry-my mom's just joking!"

"Honey please don't be shy, after all-I remember what it's like to be a teenager." Mrs. Knight chuckled, venturing a welcoming hand of greeting towards the blonde who shook it politely before being enveloped into a warm hug from the mother,

"I'm so glad to have you over!" Jo smiled, comforted by her blooming presence.

"Me too, it's nice to see you again Mrs. Knight."

"I was beginning to worry about you; we haven't seen you over in a while." Mrs. Knight stated while fixating the disrupted pillows. Comprehending that a momentary lapse of noise issued the moment her statement was out of her mouth, she turned to study their composure, nothing how the room became suddenly tense.

Fortunately Kendall broke the awkward tension by laughing it off,

"Life's just gotten a little busy." Jo eagerly chimed in, saying that she had been swamped with homework, club activities and volleyball practice.

However, the astute mother did not buy their excuses as the complete reason as to why the girl had not been interacting with her son. But with wisdom, she let it slide by saying,

"Well, I'm glad you were able to make it then. Will you be staying for dinner?" Jo hesitated, nodding,

"If that's alright with you?"

"Of course, dear!" Mrs. Knight beamed, "This'll be wonderful!"

"Well then," she continued, pressing down the front of her dirtied apron which had been soiled in the yard, "What are you two up to?" Kendall shrugged, facing Jo,

"I don't know, I think we were just going to watch TV or something." Before Jo was able to offer another suggestion of how they could better make use of their time, she was cut off.

"Well then that settles it; you'll help me make dinner! Come along." Mrs. Knight announced, wafting away towards the kitchen, leaving the teens in her wake with their only option to follow.

Pulling out a batch of previously hardened hardboiled eggs and a jar of mayonnaise from the refrigerator, Kendall joined the two women at the counter who were currently pouring over the directions of a flour splattered cookbook, the binding marred with use and age.

"Good, now all we need is to crack open a can of tuna and it'll be done!"

"Er, what are we making Mrs. Knight?" Jo asked, perplexed by the strange ingredients.

"The best food in the world!" Kendall interjected, his face alight with joy as he peeled the dull orbs from their porcelain shells only to crush the stiff outer covering down the drain with a spoon.

Mrs. Knight laughed while closing the old book, setting it on the counter while bee-lining straight for the cupboard in search of the pesky cans of albacore tuna.

"It's an old family recipe from my mother's side."

"And where were they from?" Jo inquired, setting out the can opener on the marble tile and fetching a ladle to stir the concoction together.

"Finland."

"Ah…so I guess that explains why they combined fish, mayo, noodles and eggs together." Jo sniffed in aversion, holding the bowl of reeking mayonnaise and freshly chopped eggs out and away from her nostrils.

"What, you don't like it?" Kendall asked, momentarily pausing from slicing squelching egg rinds on a flat oak cutting board.

"Uh," Jo groaned, careful not to insult their sacred family treasure, "It's…different."

"Just wait till you try it, I bet you'll love it!"

"Yes that's right Jo." Mrs. Knight agreed, sauntering out of the pantry with cans stacked in her arms, "You should never knock something until you try it. That's what my mother always used to say."

"And so does mine." Kendall grinned, receiving a playful slap to the back of his head from his mother while she passed him on her way to the bowl.

"Haha okay okay, I'll try it." Jo relented, handing Mrs. Knight the can opener while taking the ladle into her hands in anticipation of stirring.

After a few cranks, chunks of pinky flesh popped out of the tin cans and into the waiting drainer resting over the sink. The stinking juices preserving the fish washed down the drain, enabling the chefs to toss the fresh tuna into the bowl of waiting ingredients.

Without warning, the front door slammed open with a bang and a flurry of brown curls.

"Mom, Kendall I'm home!" Miss Katie Knight rushed into the kitchen to receive her daily welcome-home hugs from her mother and older brother but before she reached them, she halted. Standing stock still for a moment until bursting towards the blonde girl located in the middle of her kitchen with a shout,

"Jo!" The older girl bent down and picked her up in a hug, both glad to see one another after weeks of being separated. The tiny freshman had been influenced since childbirth to not be afraid and to develop close bonds with many of her brother's older friends because they had visited her house so often and his girlfriend of roughly three years was no exception.

They broke apart in order for her to greet Kendall and her mother but then the two girls began a rambling chortle of information, gossip and compliments while the other relatives looked fondly at the scene.

"Oh you're making Tuna Noodle-my favorite!" Katie exclaimed, gazing into the bowl of mushed fish and noodles splattered with a creamy mixture.

"It seems to be everybody's around here." Jo chuckled but then received a dire look of disagreement from the youngest Knight,

"No, not Kendall…" She crept close to Jo's ear, cupping a hand over her mouth to whisper the dark secret, "His is lasagna. But you can't tell Mom!"

"Oh I wouldn't dare." Jo shook her head intensely, matching the seriousness of the matter at hand. However, Katie had never been a very good whisperer and thus, both Kendall and Mrs. Knight overheard.

They exchanged a look, silently smiling, knowing that Katie had been trying to keep the revelation of Kendall's most favorite meal a secret in order to not offend her mother's cooking.

"Well Katie, it's a good thing you came home, it's just about time to eat. Your father will be here soon so go wash up then you can help me make some salad."

"Okay Mom!" Katie called, sprinting up the stairs.

"Ah…I missed her." Jo smiled, folding the mixture continuously until it all congealed together. Kendall washed his hands then stole besides her,

"I know what you mean."

Mrs. Knight sighed, watching the pair happily from her position across the kitchen. Inwardly, she was content to see her son back to his usual helpful and positive self. In addition, it was comforting to see that her family was mending cognitively as well as interpersonally as a functioning unit once more.

The unified family and their guest set the Finnish dish as well as a basket of bread and salad on the dining table, laying out silverware and napkins as they went. Abruptly, a bell chimed.

"That'll be your father."

"I'll get it!" Katie offered, racing towards the door while everyone else took their place at the table.

"Hello everyone!" Keith called, setting his briefcase besides the banister of the stairwell. Katie skipped past him and slid into her seat, unfolding her napkin and utensils as her father settled into his place at the head of the table.

"Ah Jo…it's good to see you again!" He offered, smiling good-naturedly at their dinner guest. She returned his words of acceptance, commencing their meal.

"You really outdid yourself today Katherine! Boy, we haven't had Tuna Noodle in a long time."

"Actually, we had it last month" Mrs. Knight giggled, "But I'm glad you like it Keith." Jo exchanged a glance with Kendall, her face bright with silent laughter, wondering why their family was so obsessed with this meal.

She had had a few bites of the appraised Tuna Noodle and to her surprise, it was more delicious than she could have imagined. With the right amount of salt and pepper, it helped to add some flavor to the otherwise bland meal. She shrugged, unable to find any other reason for their enjoyment except that simply because it was a family meal maybe that was why it was so beloved and cherished by their family.

"How's school going Katie?" Inwardly Kendall groaned, "Here comes the usual family discussion. It wouldn't be so bad if he thought of new questions." Jo noticed his sudden change in mood; it was one that was still pleasant but less focused on lighter subjects and slightly more withdrawn.

After Katie explained the fabrications of her daily events, Mr. Knight's attention turned onto the blonde currently shoveling salad into her mouth.

"So Jo, what about you?" In surprise, she swallowed roughly, the tight roll of spinach, vinaigrette and tomatoes constricting her esophagus. Coughing, she replied,

"W-what do you mean Sir?"

"You know…anything new happening with you?" He took a sip of his White Zinfandel, his eye brows arched and expecting,

"Well, I'm getting good grades, applying for scholarships and I'm still a starting player in volleyball. We're doing pretty well as a team; we even beat Thornton last week!"

"I hear Thornton's the hardest competition in your bracket, right?"

"Mmm hhhm," She hummed, "We were so proud, we've been trying to beat them for years and break their school's record of the longest run of victories against Maplewood.

"Good for you!" Mr. Knight congratulated before wiping his lips with a napkin, "If I could only say the same for Kendall."

Instantaneously, the atmosphere dropped.

"Oh Keith, not this again." Mrs. Knight ventured delicately,

"What Katherine?" Mr. Knight imploded, "It's the truth! His team is ranked fifth in the county, fifth! That's not a very good position to be in especially when 'Mr. Superstar' here expects to take his game to the pros." In response, she rolled her eyes in their sockets across the table from her husband, harshly stabbing a stray noodle onto her sterling silver fork.

"I thought you didn't care, Dad." Kendall grumbled over his bread, tearing a large portion off with his squared fingertips.

"Of course I care! I care that my own son's disillusioning himself into thinking that some college is going to pick him up and-"

"I think Kendall's good enough." Four heads turned in shock to face the blonde girl patiently scooping tuna fish and mayonnaise covered noodles past her pink lips.

"Excuse me?" Mr. Kendall questioned, a fist clenched onto the glass of the full-bodied spirit he had forgotten drink mid-sip, "But what do you know of basketball?"

Her eyebrows flashed at his offensive tone but her eyes remained transfixed on the scraps remaining on her plate,

"I'm just saying, I think Kendall is good enough to get a basketball scholarship. Any university or college would love to accept him. He just needs to apply for more colleges and maybe attend some training camps where scouts can-"

"Enough of this nonsense!" Mr. Knight slammed his fist onto the surface of the table, jostling the wine swirling in his glass demitasse.

"Keith!" Mrs. Knight sputtered, objecting to his outburst, "She's just saying that-"

"No Katherine, I don't want to hear it. I thought we've already been over this time and time again-basketball will get Kendall nowhere in life!" He sat resolutely back in his chair, arms crossed defiantly over his heaving chest while Keith turned his piercing gaze onto the object of the entire argument, "And I feel that he needs to stop chasing down this ludicrous dream before it's too late!"

A solid minute passed of silence with Kendall staring straight into his father's eyes, issuing a challenge to counter his argument. Instead of bursting out in contempt, the flaxen and sullen individual inhaled and slowly uttered a phrase much unexpected to everyone seated in the dining room,

"I just don't get why we can never have one night without fighting…is that too much to ask for Dad?"

Mr. Knight, caught in a bind, gazed wide-eyed at his son, struggling for words.

"I-I never meant us to, I just…well I-"

"You know what…just save it."

The pleasant temperament of the family meal had become utterly destroyed by the differing of opinions, spoiling the mood of the evening. Heat and malice contained behind stern lips left the room dead silent except for the scraping of metal and the clinking of silverware against pottery and the jingle of glasses sliding across the tabletop.

"I still don't think you'll amount to anything," Came the low and self-confident tone of his father reclining back in his seat as if he had a trick card up his sleeve, "Especially if you decide a career based off the opinions of some girl who thinks she knows it all."

In the span of mere seconds, Kendall stood up hauntingly, the heels of his chair screeching against the waxed wooden floorboards. "Come on Jo, grab your purse. We're leaving."

The pair rushed from the dining room, departing early instead of remaining late into the night to partake in the previously selected board came of Clue©. Jo meekly offered her thanks for the meal, waving a swift goodbye to the women and courteously nodding a curt farewell to Mr. Knight before being dragged from the vicinity by her agitated boyfriend.

Kendall ushered her out, grabbing the keys hanging on the hall tree, tossing Jo a sweater before booking it out of his house. Pressing on the gas pedal, they zoomed off, Kendall's knuckles white and clenched on the steering wheel while his heightened tone snapped,

"I can't believe him! Every time-every single time," The unabashed youth enunciated, "He has to do something to wreck everything! I-I just can't stand it!"

"Calm down Kendall!" Jo cried, bracing herself against the frame of her seat, the safety belt hastening itself harshly against her ribcage while they flipped around a sharp bend in the road.

"I-I'm sorry!" Kendall shouted; his eyes bleary yet concentrated on the pavement, reluctantly lowering the speed of the vehicle to the appropriate limit.

"There now, everything will be okay." His delicate companion coaxed, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder while he positioned the car against the curb of her home minutes later.

Banging the door open loudly, his long legs shot out and landed on the asphalt, quickly hastening to Jo's side of the Buick to assist her out of the vehicle. He took her hand, covered by the hem of his sweater which was much too large on her slender frame. They meandered up the path leading to the front of her house, reaching the doorsteps shrouded with a wedged mat decorated with grapevines and a criss-crossed pattern reminiscent of some ideal country abode.

Before departing, Kendall drew her close to him, catching her hand which was trailing to unlatch the doorknob.

"I'm-I'm sorry about all of this. I wanted you to come over, just like we used to and have a nice time with my family. But that ship has obviously sailed." He bitterly muttered, gazing at the amethyst Cinquefoil bulbs glinting in the dark shadows of the porch.

"Kendall…it's not your fault. You tried." A sad smile graced her lips as her hazel irises softly watched as his contemplative face turned to glance up at her.

"Still," He mused, taking a step up to be on the same level, "I wish it had turned out better than that."

"There's always a next time."

A single corner of his mouth turned upwards in a brief smile,

"How can you always be so positive?"

"Lots of practice," She joked but then seriously added, "And choosing to be happy."

"Choosing…" He sighed, "It's a lot easier said than done."

"Believe me, I know." Kendall suddenly clasped both her hands together in his,

"I will try." Bemused, a single, polished eyebrow rose upwards at his odd behavior,

"Hahah, you don't need to be so serious about it Kendall. It's not like I'm judging you if you don't."

"Yeah but now that I think of it…I better try. I sure don't want to end up being like my father." Jo could not help but chuckle,

"No, I wouldn't like that very much." A grin also broke out on his grim features. All of a sudden, warm lips sweetly pecked his own before swiftly departing,

"Regardless of what you choose, I think you should do what you want in life instead of living in the shadow of your father." Waving a demure farewell, the blonde beauty slipped inside, leaving Kendall alone on the porch.

Staring blankly at the dark olive wood of his girlfriend's front door, Kendall's fingers hovered a millimeter from the thin skin of his lips, contemplating all that had been said.

Finally, the hand dropped to fumble for the set of keys hidden in the back pocket of his jeans while the teen headed towards his bulky car. Glancing back at the house, an almost invisible smile splayed out at the edges of his mouth. Kendall clutched the brass keys, signifying his resolution, the metal clinking and pressing against the soft tissue of his palm before he turned away and took his leave.


	15. Apologies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank every single person who has read, reviewed and followed this story to the end and especially to those who encouraged me through this process with your compliments and constructive criticism, it really helped make this story what it is :)
> 
> Although GITH is coming to a close, I hope you'll join me for my next BTR adventure-I guarantee that you'll be in for a treat if you do ;)
> 
> Here is the final chapter(64 pages in total!), I hope you enjoy it!
> 
> BTR & all characters belong to Nickelodeon.

"So you and Jo are back together?" Kendall twitched at the probing question, stealing up from tying his shoe to face his long time best friend. Leaning on the steel bike rack, James Diamond was the picture of a lazy afternoon, as if he were someone who had just rolled out of bed after a pleasant slumber. A broad smile broke out from the stern line of the blonde's mouth as he answered, heat rising to the tips of his ears, tingeing them pink,

"Y-yeah we are."

"That's great!" James announced, slapping Kendall on the shoulder, all animosity gone.

The reason for their jovial attitudes was claimed to an act of courage committed during the fresh hours of the day. Kendall had found James earlier that afternoon in their English class and took him aside to the back of the classroom to apologize. His hands had been sweating and he had been shuffling his feet, previously unaware of how nervous he would be to face his friend again.

But like a kindred spirit, James had silently nodded, extending a arm to cup the back of his glum friend's neck and pulled the surprised boy into a hug as he did once again upon those vertical bars of steel,

"I'm glad to have you back." Blinking, Kendall froze, the period of immovability soon elapsing as he too embraced his best friend.

Although their friendship had been restored and all had been forgiven, anything broken takes time to fix plus a certain amount of trust and mutual effort. Due to their sudden reestablishment after a long separation, they were attempting to catch up and fall back into their old sense of camaraderie.

Out of nowhere, the pair sensed a third presence. James was the first to break apart their embrace to swivel his head around to find out who had intruded upon their private discussion.

His eyes lit up upon recognition of who it was.

There was Logan Mitchell, the cause of the entire situation who had thrown his friendship with Kendall for a loop. James was about to call the boy over, seeing as he was only a few yards away silently unlocking his bike and apparently oblivious to what a close proximity he was to his supposed enemies.

Instead of bursting out, like James so carelessly did, he bit his tongue and instead whispered to Kendall,

"You said you were going to apologize?" Kendall took a step back in hesitation, to which James caught his shoulders and pushed him forward, hissing under his breath,

"It's now or never!"

Kendall instantly groaned at his friend's rashness, stumbling forward and successfully startling Logan who had glanced up to discern the commotion brewing right before his eyes.

Upon realization that it was indeed Kendall propelling towards him, he stuttered backwards. Kendall managed to regain his balance and swiftly pulled himself upright as to not collide into the frightened mouse of a boy.

How was he supposed to fix this? He could not even imagine how to initiate a single conversation let alone kneel at the feet of the being who visibly detested every fiber of his being!

Not knowing what else to do, he cleared his throat and approached Logan, noting how an unsure and awkward aura was drifting off of him in a torrent of nervousness.

"Hey Logan!" James gave a cheery called from a distance, raising a palm in the air to wave. In return, Logan actually smiled sweetly back, genuinely glad that their childhood friendship had been restored,

"Hello James."

"Wanna meet up tomorrow for lunch?" The polished brunette with the wire rim glasses, hidden beneath his hoodie that had become his signature appearance for the past month, nodded,

"Sure, sounds great." James dipped his chin in agreement, strapping on his helmet before issuing a quick,

"Awesome, see you tomorrow!" Before peddling off, the shaggy-haired and tanned youth shot Kendall an urging glance as if to implore him to finish what he had started.

Awkwardly, the two were left on the pavement constructed with industrial bars serving as a bike rack. Glancing out of the corner of his eye, studying the composure of his adversary, Kendall began his conversation, gruffly stating,

"Um…I've been meaning to talk with you."

His offer of negotiation was brushed off unexpectedly for Logan simply strapped on his helmet, curtly snapping,

"I'm busy and now I'm late. Sorry but I have to go home."

Bending down to unlock the metal bar securing his bike, Logan ignored the one who had caused him so much humiliation and pain.

However, Kendall was one not to be ignored and now that he had taken the situation this far, he was determined to see it through to the end.

"Look Logan, I know you don't want to talk with me and I don't blame you! But just hear me out." Without waiting for approval, Kendall launched into an explanation starting from the very beginning, even venturing as far as to reveal his insecurities with his future and turmoil with his daunting father.

Often he fell into pits and became tongue-tied, embarrassed and feeling like a complete moron, especially once he arrived to the portion of his story where the bully's target made his appearance, forcing Kendall to mentally and verbally re-live that day when he had shoved Logan up against the lockers out of anger, satisfied with venting his pent up frustration in any way that he could at the time.

He continued to describe that morning's events before realizing that Logan was silent, currently biting his lips, tucking back his words and actually dragging his bike across the pavement, off the sidewalk and into the street.

"Hey wait!"

Kendall jerked around and managed to grab Logan's handle bars, preventing him from moving onward with his escape, yelling at him to stop.

Instantly, he regretted his actions, noticing how the boy almost coiled at both his actions and his voice. Humbly, he then lowered his tone and meekly begged him to stop and listen to what he was trying to say.

Head lowered in shame, blonde wisps of hair floating into his downcast vision, he started afresh, repeating what happened and how awful he has felt because of all of this; how awful it must have been for Logan to experience what he had foolishly thrust upon him.

"Y-you have no idea how much I've been through because of you!"

"I know that's why I-"

"No you don't know!" Logan roared, causing Kendall to flip his head upwards in surprise at his outburst, "You can't know what it's like to have to explain the bruises to my parents and to hide them from the teachers! You can't know how awful it's been…walking through the halls in shame, knowing that everyone knows what happened and knowing that you were too weak to do anything about it!"

"I-I'm sorry Logan." Green eyes wavered, scanning the boy's face for any sign of mercy but all he found was a young boy whose lower lip quivered before vehemently uttering,

"Y-you were wrong to do that! How could you? I never even did anything to you! W-why should I forgive you?"

"You…you shouldn't," Kendall sighed in defeat, closing his own eyes to embrace the reality that was slamming down upon his lowered frame, "I deserve to feel guilty. It-it's all my fault!" He gripped his head, fingers running their course through his hair while words poured from his heart,

"I-I didn't mean to hurt you-well, not so badly. I-I was just taking my anger out on you…I don't even know why! Gosh, I'm such an idiot! There was no reason, which makes it that much worse. And I know you hate me and most likely can't forgive me, and I'm embarrassed to say it but I need you to know-I need you to know that…I'm sorry."

"K-Kendall I-"

"No! Please just listen!" His eyes flashed with righteous hostility, spouting,

"I know you won't believe me but I've changed and I'm going to work hard to continue to change! I'm sick of the person I've been and I'm sorry about all that I've done, especially to you. I wish…" His head slumped, hanging low as he gripped the handles of the bike, humiliated, people staring at the punk who was basically groveling before the nerd whom he had beat up only weeks prior.

"I wish-I wish…ah who'm I fooling? It's not going to happen."

"What?" Came the hushed question, spoken softly.

"I understand why you won't forgive me…but I wish you could."

Kendall squirmed beneath the weight of strangers eyes, feeling how they judged and mocked him, imagining how this was only a smidgeon of what Logan must have been feeling on that fateful day. Realizing that he deserved to feel equally bad if not worse, he shut his eyes, blocking out the side of the gray and chiseled pavement.

"And that's why…I will forgive you."

His head whirled upwards, his bright green eyes shining with disbelief, not comprehending what his ears heard. Abruptly a peal of laughter emitted from the shy boy, actually laughing at the stupefied expression pasted on Kendall's face. Covering his mouth to stifle his laughter at the other's expense, his eyes crinkled up while he chuckled,

"Sorry but you look so funny like that!"

Initially, Kendall was at a loss, not knowing how to take that comment, thinking that Logan was adding insult to injury, purposefully making fun of him. Grumpy and awkward, he stood there, his gaze shifting back to the ground, expecting the boy to come up with another insult and he was prepared to take it.

Soft and gentle flesh touched his chin, slight pressure tilting his jaw upwards in order for his flickering irises to meet warm brown orbs glowing down at him,

"Kendall, stop moping, I said I would forgive you."

A millisecond later, the boy added as if an afterthought, "And actually, I already did a while ago."

"W-what?" Kendall sputtered, practically choking in shock. However Logan waved his surprise off, still clutching the larger boy's chin between his fingertips to keep Kendall's attention rooted on him,

"You can't let people knock you down, otherwise you'd get stuck and not be able to move on."

"B-but aren't you angry with me, after everything I've done to you?" Logan shut his eyes, his dark lashes meshing together while he inhaled, breathing deeply before continuing,

"Admittedly, yes, I am still angry and a little mad at you. Besides, my cheek still hurts." A sudden wink appeared as the boy pointed to his injured left eye. Kendall gazed into his face, fascinated and scared by what he saw. Now the skin was only a faint dull purple ring resting around the eyelid, dark blue etched into the top of his cheekbone and between the crevices betwixt his nose and eyebrow.

His heart sank.

"But Kendall," Logan compassionately offered, watching the basketball player's face become crestfallen, "You've got to realize that if I wanted revenge, it would only bring more suffering to both of us and we'd probably always hate each other. I've been taught to turn the other cheek to those who hate me and my mom always told me that by hating, you only wind up wounding yourself."

"She's pretty smart." Kendall puffed, taking into consideration the wisdom being graciously presented. Logan however looked up into the sky and grimly smiled,

"She was." Panic set in, gripping Kendall harshly for saying the wrong thing to the person whom had just forgiven him and held him in such a demeaning manner which tugged at Kendall's pride. Immediately, be broke out of Logan's hold on his chin, straightening up and apologizing,

"I'm so sorry dude, I didn't mean to bring something like that up! I didn't know that she was-"

Logan came to his rescue by hushing him,

"It's alright." Turning around to hop onto his bike, he smiled,

"Like I said, Knight, I forgive you so don't worry."

"T-thank you." Kendall mumbled to which Logan countered,

"I think you should be thanking that girlfriend of your's; she helped me a whole lot."

His green eyes met Logan's which were glowing across the way in knowing, a slow grin spreading across Kendall's face as he replied,

"Me too…you have no idea."

Shuffling his feet, Kendall realized that Logan was about to leave at any moment and he had still not finished all the components of his agenda.

"So…are we good?"

"Yeah we're good." Their knuckles brushed across the other's as Logan pushed off the curb and began to peddle away. Kendall watched him go, digging his hands into his pockets, relief flooding through him.

Half way to the stop sign leading out into the main road, Logan turned, calling over his shoulder,

"Hey Kendall, what are you doing tomorrow at lunch?"

Kendall paused, comprehending that he had no one to sit with for Jo was visiting with Camille and her other friends while James had made plans to…

"Uh…nothing." Kendall confessed, hesitating, "Why?"

"Good, you should join us tomorrow! I know James will be glad to talk to you again."

Kendall quirked a brow, lightly chuckling,

"How do you know so much about James all of a sudden?"

"That's another reason why I've got to thank you." Logan replied, "You've given me my best friend back."

Worry panged him in the chest, flooding him with sinking dread. "James is my best friend," Kendall thought, thinking that their relationship could not have changed that drastically in that small amount of time during his weakness, could it?

Remaining silent, he harrowingly listened to the brown-haired boy yell over the buzz of nearby tragic,

"Anyways, he keeps talking about you. You mean a lot to him."

"So do you." Kendall suddenly brightened, laughing. In return, Logan beamed,

"Well I'm glad. And don't laugh at me as I quote, but 'I think this might be the start of a beautiful friendship.'" Despite Logan's plea not to, Kendall broke out into a full burst of laughter,

"Dude, don't say it like that! Man, that sounds so lame." Logan simply shrugged,

"Not when it's the truth."

"I guess you're right," Kendall relented, stuffing a hand in his pocket while the other rose in the crisp air, waving the boy off for the beginning of his journey home,

"I'm looking forward to it!"

Live, learn and yet above all, aspire to love….for love displays no anger, love is forgiving, without resentment…and love never fails.


End file.
